


Lost in the sea

by Marianita195



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-10 06:38:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6943831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marianita195/pseuds/Marianita195
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Klaus Mikaelson loved life and adventure. That is until one stormy evening when he had a boat accident, resulting in the death of his little brother Henrik. </p><p>Now, guilty and confined to a wheelchair, he refuses to do his therapy and walk again.</p><p>Enter Caroline Forbes, the lovely, bubbly, full of life therapist who isn’t willing to let Klaus stay home and miss all the other adventures he could have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tame the beast

The cold breeze blew in, moving the white, light curtains. It carried the salty scent of the ocean with it, and when it reached Klaus’ nose, he couldn’t help but turn his face away.

There was a time when he loved that scent. A time when he loved waking up to that view. He loved the sight of the ocean, so wide and limitless to his eyes. Those days were far behind. Now it made him wanna roll over on his bed and bury his nose in his pillow, but it didn’t take the ocean away. No. It was still there, surrounding him, mocking him.

“Good morning mister Mikaelson!” Kimberly’s annoying voice pierces his ears as she walks into the room.

Klaus barely groans a reply and rolls over on his back, not without some difficulties. Kimberly then proceeds to move the hospital bed tray and place Klaus’ breakfast in front of him.

“Eat this, and then I’m helping you shave. You have your appointment with Doctor Martin in exactly one hour and you’re meeting your new physiotherapist after that.” Kimberly said. “Try not to scare this one away.” She added.

 Klaus rolled his eyes and turned his head away as Kimberly lifted a spoon with oatmeal.

“I can eat by myself.” He mumbled –more like growled-. “And I can shave myself too, unless I had to shave with my feet. Which I don’t.”

Kimberly nodded and placed the spoon down.

“Alright then, I’ll come back in a few to help you get ready for your appointment with Doctor Martin. Meanwhile, eat. Your mother wants you to eat the whole thing.”

Klaus looked down to the tray filled with food and growled again.

 

“Name?” the guard at the front door asked.

“Caroline Forbes.” Caroline said from behind the wheel and watched the guard look for her name in a sheet of paper.

“What brings you to the Mikaelson’s manor, Miss Forbes?”

“I’m Niklaus Mikaelson’s new physiotherapist.”

The man lowered the chart he was holding and looked at her for a moment, like he was inspecting her.

“Good luck.” He said simply before pressing a button and opening the gate. Caroline frowned but put the car in gear and drove through the large front garden to the front door. The house was a freaking mansion. Caroline wasn’t so surprised, after all Mikael Mikaelson –what kind of name is that?- offered her a filthy amount of money, and was willing to pay even more, for her to make his son walk again. Everything was so elegant, Caroline felt embarrassed of her old beat up car.

As she parked her car, a handsome and stylish man in a suit opened the door and stepped outside to greet her.

“Miss Forbes? I’m Elijah Mikaleson, Niklaus’ brother. Thank you for being so punctual.” He said as he shook her hand.

“It’s a pleasure. You have a beautiful house.” Caroline commented while following up the stairs to the door.

“I’ll make sure to tell my parents. I don’t live here anymore, but I’m right next door.”

Caroline looked to both sides. To her left there were just trees as far as her eyes could go, and to her right she spotted a house just as beautiful as this one, about three hundred yards away.

This people are ridiculously rich!

“Niklaus is having an appointment with his psychiatrist so I’ll give you a quick tour. Kitchen, dinner and living room are over there.” He said pointing further inside the house. “This is just the common area. Bathroom is to the left.” Elijah added before making his way upstairs. “Here are the bedrooms, the library and this…” He said stopping in front of a door. “… is where you’ll be working with Niklaus.”

Caroline stepped inside and found a room better equipped for her job than most hospitals she had ever seen.

“You have all of this here? No wonder why your father refused to take his son to the hospital.”

“Yes, well…” Elijah sighed. “Our parents invested a lot to make sure Niklaus would get back on his feet, but it hasn’t turned out that way.”

Caroline tilted her head.

“I read mister Mikaelson’s clinic history. His accident was almost a year ago. With all this equipment he should be doing better than he is.”

“My brother has been somewhat resistant to the rehabilitation.” Elijah said softly, making Caroline frown in confusion. “We don’t know why. We don’t know what happened that makes him act this way, but he refuses to take his meds and do his exercises, all he does is sit on his bloody chair and growls at everyone.” He explained and to Caroline he looked like a hopeless man. “He even stopped painting…”

“I’M DONE! YOU HEAR ME?! I’M DONE!”

Caroline and Elijah rushed back to the hall when they heard the screaming.

“Doctor Martin?” Elijah asked to the raging man stomping his way to the stairs.

“I’m done, Elijah! He is IMPOSSIBLE!”

“Please sir, don’t leave…” Elijah tried to stop him, but the doctor kept going. Caroline watched him leave while throwing his arms in the air and curse and then she heard Elijah sigh. “This is the fifth psychiatrist that quits.” He said pinching the bridge of his nose. “He also managed to scare away housekeeping personal, nurses and well… his previous physiotherapists.”

Caroline swallowed hardly and tried to stand straight, showing no sign of discomfort.

“Let’s give it time. Some patients take longer than others. But for now I’d like to meet him and start doing my job.” She said.

Elijah nodded and started walking to the room Doctor Martin had just exited.

Caroline took a deep breath and stepped in.

“Good luck.” She heard Elijah whisper before closing the door behind her. Caroline wanted to curse. _Bastard!_ He left her alone with Niklaus without even introducing them.

The room was dark and gloomy. Book shelves went from the floor to the ceiling and the only light in the room came from the fireplace and a small lamp on a table. By the way, who closes the curtains and lights a fireplace at 10 am on a sunny day?

At first Caroline didn’t see him, but then her eyes adjusted to the darkness and noticed the hunched figure in a corner, intense blue eyes looking at her curiously.

“Good morning mister Mikaelson. My name is Caroline Forbes and I’m your new physiotherapist.” Caroline said with her best smile.

Klaus only looked at her up and down for a moment and then scoffed.

“I either managed to scare all the good ones…” he mumbled. “… or father is getting desperate.”

Caroline frowned but she wasn’t going to let him rile her up that easily. She was going to prove to him that she was just as good as any other specialist. So instead of replying, she took a deep breath and put her briefcase down.

“We need more light!” She said rushing to the window and opening the curtains. Klaus quickly turned his head to a side, to shield himself from the light. “Much better. Let’s get started!” She took Klaus’ clinic history from her briefcase and sat down on the couch. “You had a boat accident and now suffer a spinal cord injury. This means you aren’t entire paralyzed, you can’t move from the waist down, however you haven’t lost sensibility on the skin. Is that correct?”

“Well it’s all in there, isn’t it?” He asked in a condescending tone while glancing at the file before looking away. “I hit my back against some rocks.” He then explained.

Caroline nodded her head and carried on, trying not to imagine the painful experience.

“Most of the damage is in the 3rd lumbar vertebrae which is the one that allows us to stay in balance. We’ll work on that in the future. I think with some massages and exercises you should walk again soon.”

“You’re wasting your time. I won’t ever walk again.”

“No, you won’t, unless you start the rehabilitation right away. It’s been almost a year, the longer you wait, the-“

“You don’t get it. I won’t!” Klaus said determined. “It’s useless.” He added softly.

Caroline frowned at that. Why would anyone give up so easily? Wouldn’t people in his situation jump in at any chance of walking again? Caroline flipped through the pages in the folder and reached Klaus’ psychiatry history.

_Depression._

_Attempt of suicide._

She quickly shut the folder and decided to use a different approach.

“Alright then.” She got up and walked around Klaus’ chair. Klaus turned his head to look at her with wide eyes when she started pushing the wheel chair.

“Where the bloody hell are you taking me, woman?!”

“To your therapy room. Just because I can’t help you walk again doesn’t mean I don’t have a job to do. If you’re staying in that chair forever, we need to make sure your blood circulates or the muscles will die.”

“I’ll fire you.” Klaus grumbled.

“You can’t. I’m your father’s employee, not yours.” Caroline replied while pushing the chair down the hall.

“Then I’ll make you quit!”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? But at least give me a chance. Who knows, you might enjoy it!” Caroline said, back to her cheerful self.

“Doubt it.” Klaus mumbled as he sulked on his chair.

“Alright, here we are!” she said as she stopped the chair in front of the medical bed. “Let’s take your sweater off first.”

Klaus looked at her like she had grown a second head.

“Excuse me?”

“What? You never got a massage from your other therapists?” Caroline asked while looking through the cabinets.

“Yes, but they massaged my legs…”

“Your spinal cord is all connected. We need to work our way down from there.” Caroline explained before she found what she was looking for. “Lavender lotion, perfect!”

Klaus took his sweater off and wheeled his chair to the bed, then he pushed himself up with his arms and climbed up. It took a lot of effort, but when Caroline tried to help him, he quickly pushed her away.

“I can do it myself.”

Caroline rolled her eyes and stood by the bed. Once Klaus was laying on his stomach, Caroline poured the lotion on her palm and rubbed her hands together.

“Will this help with the pain?” Klaus asked. “My thighs hurt. I mean, what’s the point of being paralyzed if I can still feel pain…”

“They hurt because you sit on your ass all day and don’t work out.” Caroline replied.

Klaus leaned up on his elbows and turned his head to glare at her. No one ever talked to him like that.

“Just do your fucking job.”

“Mister Mikaelson! Language, please! Or I’ll bring a swearing jar!”

He said before laying back down. Caroline took a deep breath and started massaging his back. She was gentle, applying the right amount of pressure when needed, never touching the injured vertebrae. She didn’t want to say anything and spoil the moment, but she had to pat herself on the back when she heard Klaus’ happy noises.

She found that giving massages could be relaxing for herself too, which was what she needed while working with such a difficult patient. As she focused on the way her hands glided on his back, she noticed observed his tattoos. He had a black triangle on his shoulder blade and she could tell he had another one on his arm and a third one on his shoulder. She also noticed he had a lot of moles, which she found adorable.

She had to admit, he was a good looking man, with his blue eyes and red lips, his short blond curls and thick British accent. He was a little pale, and looked tired, but that was understandable. It surprised her that his lesion wasn’t caused by too much sex –she remembered vividly one of her patients, the 72 years old mister Collins, who sought her help after hurting his back while having sex with a younger lover-.

If only he wasn’t such an asshole.

“Okay mister Mikaelson, we’re done with the back. We’ll start working on your legs.”

 “Mister Mikaelson is my father. I’m Klaus.”

Caroline nodded.

“Alright Klaus. Roll over, I need to take your pants off.” Klaus tensed “I need to massage your thighs and calves to stimulate the blood flow.”

Klaus opened his eyes widely and shook his head.

“No, no. There will be no blood flowing today.” He said while trying to sit up.

“Klaus-“

“I’m done for today.” Klaus said. “I’m tired. I’d like to rest.”

Caroline nodded and pushed the wheelchair closer to the bed.

 

“Mister Mikaelson?” Caroline called out as she entered the living room.

Elijah, who sat on the couch sipping his tea, lowered the newspaper he was reading and looked at her.

“Yes, miss Forbes?”

“I have the phone number of a very good psychiatric doctor, in case you still need someone to cover doctor Martin.” Caroline said  while handing him a card.

Elijah took it and read it.

“Dr. Alarick Saltzman.” He looked up at her. “And you think this man can help Niklaus?”

Caroline nodded.

“Yes. He deal with a patient a lot like Klaus in the past. You know, someone… resistant to the treatment. If anyone can change Klaus’ mind, it’s him.”


	2. No one hates pizza

 

The last time he was with a woman was before the accident. That was over a year ago. He now craved it, and at the same time he hated her for reminding him that now he was “less of a man”.

There was something in her touch, something that stuck with him for next few days. It was soft, warm and tender, and she wasn’t hard on the eyes either. She was quite a beauty. She could have tempted him in the past.

But Klaus had no control over his body as Caroline massaged him. That was another problem that came with the spinal cord injury, no control whatsoever on his “manly” parts and needs. He could get a boner while putting his pants on, but wouldn’t get it up while being with a beautiful woman.

He felt emasculated.

He hated her.

.

Alaric Saltzman was no ordinary doctor, Klaus could tell from the beginning. Instead of readying Klaus’ profile out loud –like Klaus didn’t know already- Alaric just sat down, introduced himself and asked Klaus if he wanted to tell him a little bit about himself.

Klaus refused, being his grumpy, rude self, and he was surprised when Alaric didn’t insist.

“Are we gonna sit in silence all day?” Klaus asked.

“Not all day, only the next…” Alaric checked his watch. “55 minutes.”

Klaus frowned.

“You’re joking.”

“I’m here to listen to you, Klaus. I’ll just wait until you have something to say.”

“What a waste of time.” Klaus rolled his eyes.

“I don’t see it that way.” Alaric said, making Klaus look at him curiously. “I believe I can get to know you at least a little bit without you using words. Like… for example, you’re a well educated man, you were on great shape before your accident, you’re picky with your clothes…”

“Alright.” Klaus interrupted him. “So you can read people.”

“Yes. Sadly that’s not enough for me to help them, but it’s a start.”

“Why don’t you just do your job and prescribe me some miraculous little pill that we both know I won’t take?” Klaus said looking smug.

“Very well.” Alaric took his pad and a pen. “I prescribe you to go outside and sunbath for at least 15 minutes per day, to watch silly comedies at least twice a week, and eat as much chocolate and pizza you can.” He said while writing down.

Klaus looked at him weirdly and scoffed.

“Right.”

“I’m serious.” Alaric said while tearing the paper from the pad and handing it to Klaus. “Do this for at least this week, and if by the time I come back next week you’ve decided you hate it, then we’ll try something else. But let’s be honest here, no one hates pizza.”

Alaric Saltzman was no ordinary doctor indeed.

.

 The road to the Mikaelson manor became familiar, having to drive there from Monday to Friday every week. The guards at the front gate didn’t ask for her name anymore, but wished her a good day, and she always had an empty spot to park her car.

Rebekah opened the door and smiled, as usual. At first, getting to know Rebekah had been tough, and Caroline remembers thinking they would never be friends. Rebekah could be bratty and spoiled, but she wasn’t evil, she was just lonely. And once you managed to get through that thick exterior, she wasn’t a bad friend.

 Caroline knew getting attached to her patients wasn’t a good idea, but technically Rebekah wasn’t her patient, it was her patient’s sister.

Besides, it was nice to have a friend in that big house. It made it easier for Caroline to put up with Klaus. This was her third week working with him and he still refused to exercise. Caroline could only help to maintain the muscles active and the blood flowing, but it wouldn’t make him walk anytime soon. She wasn’t worried though, she knew that patients like Klaus only needed time.

“I must warn you, he’s in a mood.” Rebekah said as Caroline reached the door.

“Isn’t he always?” Caroline said rolling her eyes.

“Yes, but today he’s annoyed. I don’t think he liked the doctor you recommended.”

“Why not? Rick is a sweetheart!” Caroline scoffed.

“Rick?” Rebekah asked teasingly. “Whatever. Nik said he didn’t seem like a very professional doctor.”

“He is! He just has his own way of doing things. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” Caroline assured her before walking upstairs. She found Klaus in his room. He never waited in the rehabilitation room and Caroline had to push his wheel chair, she even got him out of bed a couple of times. Today wasn’t any different. The room was dark, he was still in his pajamas and he ignored her completely when she walked in.

“Come on Klaus.” Caroline insisted.

“That shrink of yours is a moron.” He said without looking up from his book.

“He’s not, he just uses a different approach. I thought you would be relieved. He knows Doctor Martin and he says they’re complete opposites.”

“They’re still shrinks.”

Caroline frowned.

“You want to pretend you don’t need their help?”

“I DON’T need their help.” Klaus growled. “I don’t need yours either.”

“Okay, I don’t have time for this.” Caroline said before taking the book from Klaus’ hand. He tried to get it back, but she kept it out of his reach.

“What are you doing? Give it back!”

“No. If you don’t need my help, or Rick’s help, then get out of bed, get y our book and walk out.” Caroline challenged him.

“Now you’re being stupid. I was in an accident. I can’t walk.”

“You could, if you weren’t so goddamn stubborn! You need our help, you just won’t take it and I wanna know why!”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Klaus said with his jaw clenched. “Now get the fuck out of my room!”

“Make me.” Caroline hissed lowly. At that, Klaus couldn’t say anything else. He sat there speechless, useless. “The way I see it, you’re wasting yourself away. You’re angry, and powerless, and you rather sit on your stupid chair and die. And that’s fine.” Caroline said, which surprised her. “It’s your family that worries me. Your siblings seem to care, your parents invested so much hoping they’ll see you walk again. And yet you don’t want to get better. I can’t understand why someone would rather be a cripple over walking again. You say I wouldn’t understand. I don’t think you understand yourself.”

“You don’t know half of it.” Klaus mumbled.

“Because you won’t tell me. Or your doctors.”

Klaus turned his face away, not wanting to look at her.

“Get out.”

Caroline dropped Klaus’ book on his bed and walked out. She was done.

But as she made her way out she spotted Rebekah at the foot of the staircase.

“I heard screaming.”

“Your brother is an ass, that’s all. I don’t think we can continue today’s therapy.”

Rebekah sighed.

“He’s stubborn.”

“That’s an understatement.” Caroline scoffed.

“He wasn’t always like that.”

“Then what happened? I mean, I know a boat accident can be traumatic, but this?”

Rebekah looked at her for a moment and her shoulders dropped.

“You only read Nik’s medical history, but there’s more about hat accident that I think you don’t know.”

Caroline frowned.

“Like what?”

Rebekah looked around and took Caroline’s hand to guide her through the house.

“I think we should sit down and talk.”


	3. Into the deep

_The wind howled, the waves trashed against the sailing ship, shaking it without a pause. Black clouds ran through the sky, the electric storm lightening it every few minutes._

_“Hold on tight! Hold on tight!” Klaus yelled as he turned the helm._

_The ocean was wild and showed no mercy. Klaus regretted so much his decision to sneak out to go sailing that night. Especially with Henrik in the boat._

_The young boy held onto the sail like his life depended on it, which it did._

_“Nik!” Henrik screamed._

_“Hold on!” Klaus repeated, trying to bring some stability to the ship._

_Suddenly the boat came to a halt, and Klaus knew what it meant. The sailing ship hit the rocks that Klaus had been so adamant avoiding. Henrik let go of the sail with a gasp and Klaus watched as he was thrown into the water by the violent movement._

_“Henrik!” Without a second thought, Klaus let go of the helm and jumped after his brother. The water was dark and restless. It carried him around like a ragged doll. It didn’t stop him, though. He kept looking around for his little brother._

_A flash of lightening in the sky let Klaus see that the boat was turning to his way. He quickly took a breath and tried to swim away. He still felt the water pushing him as the boat rolled and crashed into the water. With inexplicable force, he was shoved against the rocks, and his world turned black._

Rebekah put down the cup of tea she had just sipped and took a breath.

“He woke up a week later at the hospital. The first thing he did was ask for Henrik, but by the time we had found his body at the shore. The water had stripped him down from his clothes and crushed his small body against the rocks. We didn’t know how to bring the news to Nik, specially after he found out he couldn’t move his legs.”

Caroline hadn’t spoken a word since Rebekah started telling her the story. She was so ashamed for the way she treated Klaus.

“A few days after we brought him home, he said he wanted to go outside, have some fresh air.” Rebekah continued shaking her head. “He rolled his wheelchair to the pool and tried to drown himself. Elijah saw it and jumped in to save him.” She said drying a few tears that rolled down her cheeks. “Nik didn’t speak for a week after that.”

“I’m so sorry.” Caroline whispered. “So that’s why he won’t even try to get better. He’s feeling guilty?”

“That’s my guess.” Rebekah replied. “He loved Henrik, he was Nik’s favorite  brother.”

“He needs to understand this won’t bring him back. And I never met Henrik, but I’m sure he wouldn’t want his brother to waste himself away.”

Rebekah scoffed.

“I know that. But try getting that inside Nik’s head! He’s so goddamn stubborn!”

Caroline bit her lower lip as she thought about everything Rebekah just told her.

This didn’t excuse Klaus’ behavior, or made it right, but at least it explained it.

Her eyes traveled from the little cups on the coffee table in front of her, to the rug, to the staircase. She looked up to the second floor.

Up there was a broken man. It wasn’t her job to break him even more.

.

Klaus read the exact same line for the fourth time before realizing he wasn’t paying any attention. He dropped the book on his lap before rubbing his eyes. His mind was somewhere else. It would usually drift to that tragic night, to the violate waves and dark water. But today something else bothered him. The fight he had with Caroline the previous day had left a bad taste in his mouth.

The girl was just trying to help. He couldn’t blame her for that. But she didn’t understand. She couldn’t understand. Neither can the doctors. It didn’t matter if they were the best psychiatrists in the whole world, Klaus still couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. Especially not to Caroline. How do you explain to someone you killed your brother?

There was a soft knock on the door and when Klaus looked up he saw Caroline’s blonde head poking in.

“Hi.” She said softly.

“You’re back.” He said, even though his voice didn’t sound as surprised as he was.

“Yeah.” She mumbled while finally walking into the room. “I came to apologize. I even baked some cookies.” She said waving a container in her hands. Bless her heart. “I’m sorry about yesterday. If you don’t wanna talk to me, or Alaric, that’s fine. And if you don’t wanna walk, that’s fine too. But you still need a treatment for your legs, to keep the blood running and the muscles healthy. Would you let me help you?” Caroline asked while sitting down in front of him.

Klaus looked at her for a moment. This woman clearly chose her profession wrong, because with those puppy dog eyes of her, she could’ve conquered the world.

“I guess.” He said softly after a few seconds.

Caroline smiled softly and nodded.

“Great! Also, I know you think Alaric is a charlatan, but I thought you would be happy. I know what he said to you, and honestly, eating pizza and sunbathing doesn’t sound so bad. But if you still think that’s a bad idea, then maybe we can try something else.” She said while getting up and walking around his chair to push it out of the room.

“Like what?” Klaus asked.

“Well… what do you do in your free time?” She asked.

Sulk, perhaps? Klaus shook his head at the thought. He liked painting, but he hadn’t done that since the accident. He was sure he would never pick a paintbrush again.

“I read.” He replied.

“I noticed you have a lot of books of poetry and literature.” Caroline affirmed with a nod. “Maybe you can read while I work on your legs.” She suggested. “You could even read out loud. It’s been so long since I had time to read myself. I’d like it if you could read to me.”

In a few minutes, he was lying on the hospital bed with Caroline massaging one of his legs as he read out loud. The hours went away fast, and the session was over sooner than expected.

The next day, they did the same, and soon it became their routine. Before he knew it, Klaus got used to Caroline’s presence, so much that he even started waiting for Caroline at the therapy room, ready to start, with a book in his hand. He found himself waiting impatiently for the long legs and blonde hair to appear in the room.

From love poems, to silly ones. From Shakespeare to Edgar A. Poe. Short lines or long stories, he didn’t mind. He could read to her for hours. Just like she could listen to him.

Caroline kept bringing baked goods, made by herself, and to everyone’s surprise, they had tea together a couple of times before starting the sessions. She even convinced him to move the hospital bed to the balcony so they could sunbath, which was what Alaric suggested.

In about a month, Klaus started to feel conflicted, because he enjoyed her company and his mind would wonder to different scenarios. One where he would have shamelessly flirted with her if he had met her before the accident. Or how he would have courted her. But every time he pictured himself walking, out of that goddamn wheelchair. He couldn’t think of Caroline without feeling the pain of being in his situation, the pain he got when he thought of himself as someone who wasn’t man enough for her. This led him to have mixed feelings about her.

He would soon forget about those negative thoughts the moment she walked in, but the rest of the day, he would feel haunted.

The fact that the anniversary of the accident and Henrik’s death was just a month away didn’t help much. Caroline’s company and the sessions were a good distraction from the crushing weight he had on his shoulders and chest. But it never lasted too long, and he would soon feel overwhelmed by the guilt again, especially at night, when he was left in his bedroom, alone with nothing else but his thoughts.

.

“Klaus?” Caroline called out. Klaus looked up and found her looking at him with a frown, her hand still moving his ankle around gently. “Where did you go?”

Klaus looked down to the book in his hands. He was about to read her another poem when suddenly stopped. His mind had wandered somewhere else. Far in time, but close to his heart. Not wanting to leave Caroline waiting anymore, he cleared his throat and started reading.

“The Ocean’s song, by Victor Hugo…

We walked amongst the ruins famed in story   
Of Rozel-Tower,   
And saw the boundless waters stretch in glory   
And heave in power.   
  
O Ocean vast! We heard thy song with wonder,   
Whilst waves marked time.   
"Appear, O Truth!" thou sang'st with tone of thunder,   
"And shine sublime!   
  
"The world's enslaved and hunted down by beagles,   
To despots sold.   
Souls of deep thinkers, soar like mighty eagles!   
The Right uphold.   
  
"Be born! arise! o'er the earth and wild waves bounding,   
Peoples and suns!   
Let darkness vanish; tocsins be resounding,   
And flash, ye guns!   
  
"And you who love no pomps of fog or glamour,   
Who fear no shocks,   
Brave foam and lightning, hurricane and clamour,--   
Exiles: the rocks!"

Caroline offered him a sad smile. The meaning behind those words didn’t go unnoticed to her.

“That was… very nicely written.” She said, giving the lack of better words.

Klaus closed the book and set it down on the bed.

“Are we done here? I’d like to go back inside and rest.” He said.

Caroline frowned but quickly nodded her head.

“Sure.”

She helped him to get back on his chair and wheeled him back inside the house as he carried the book on his lap.

“Are you okay? You were fine a minute ago.” She asked worriedly. She liked to think that her relationship with Klaus had grown to the point where they weren’t exactly friends, but they were more than just physiotherapist and patient.

Klaus nodded.

“I’m just thinking, three weeks from now will be a year that I had the accident. It feels like a lot longer, and at the same time, it hasn’t been long enough.”

“I know what you mean.” Caroline replied. “It’s been years since my dad died, and I still get sad every year around the time of his death.” She added while getting the therapy room tidy.

Klaus frowned and looked at her in surprise.

“What did you just say?”

Caroline looked back at him and gapped a couple of times.

“I’m just saying, it’s normal to feel that way when you lose someone…”

“Exactly!” Klaus cut her off. “But I never said anything about losing someone.” Caroline just blinked, she looked like a deer in the headlights. “You know about Henrik.” Klaus said in an accusing tone.

“Uh… yeah, Rebekah told me.”

“When?”

“Remember about a month ago when we had a fight?” Klaus nodded. “After we fought I talked to Rebekah and it helped me to understand you a little bit better.”

“And you came back the next day.” Klaus shook his head and turned his chair away. “I thought you were being professional, I didn’t think you came back because you pitied me.”

“What?” Caroline asked confused. “I didn’t come back because I pitied you.” She said, but the second those words came out of her mouth she knew he wouldn’t believe them, because they weren’t true.

Klaus glared at her, like he could see right through her.

“Okay, fine, it made me realize that I shouldn’t be too hard on you, because you were struggling, and look how far we’ve come! We’re doing great since then.”

Klaus shook his head.

“I don’t care. I want you to leave.”

Caroline’s shoulders dropped.

“Okay.” She said picking up her purse. “I don’t have to come back tomorrow, I could come back in a few days if that’s what you want.”

Klaus shook his head again and clenched his jaw.

“No. I want you gone. As in you’re fired.”

Caroline opened her mouth in shock.

“Seriously?” She whined. “After everything we’ve been through, after all the progress we’ve done! Besides you can’t fire me, I was hired-“

“By my father. I know. But I can pick my own therapist, so I’ll pick someone else. Now leave.”

“Klaus-“

“LEAVE!” He yelled, picking up the book from his lap and throwing it to the wall next to Caroline.

 She jumped a little on her spot and then darted to the door, quickly leaving the room and the broken man in it behind.


	4. Broken souls put each other together

Caroline couldn’t stop thinking about her fight with Klaus.He pushed her away and she had no strength to fight back. All the effort, all the progress, wasted. She had managed to get under his skin, and she knew it. It had been the plan all along. But now it seemed that no matter how sneaky she could be, she would never help him heal.

Caroline feared that he would never walk away, not because of his accident, but because of wounds that ran deeper. And the only person that could help him crawl out of that deep abysm of pain is himself.

She couldn’t blame him. She remembered being in that place. The pain, both physical and mental, the despair, the days and nights of feeling hopeless. She knew all that very well.

That morning, the weather was too warm for her liking. Don’t get me wrong, Caroline Forbes loves the sun and the summer, but that day her mind was cloudy and her soul felt as restless as a storm. Her heart ached as she pushed the door open.

It had been a long time since she set foot in a dance studio. Her eyes ran through the dancers as they warmed up. Even in their less fancy thighs and dark shoes, they were the most beautiful thing she had seen.

God, how she missed it. The leg warmers, the stretching, the feeling of being lifted in the air by another dancer. Yeah, she missed it.

“Care! Hi!” Her old friend Elena said in surprise as she approached her. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh… you know… taking a trip down memory lane, plus Kat said you’d be rehearsing for The Swan Lake and I couldn’t resist.” Caroline replied.

“You sure?” Elena asked with a frown.

“What? Was it another play?”

“No. I mean, are you sure you wanna be here?” Elena asked as carefully as she could.

“Oh come on!” They heard Katherine say as she approached them. “Stop babying her, she can handle it. Right, Care?”

Caroline smiled softly. She knew she could always count with Katherine.

“Yeah. I have a lot of free time today and you know how much I love it here.” She told Elena, which was supposed to make her friend feel better, but it didn’t.

Everyone knew ballet was a sensitive subject to Caroline, and even Katherine was worried about her. She just had other ways of showing it.

“Good, now that you’re here you can give us some insight.” Katherine said before walking back to the stereo.

Elena looked unsure, so Caroline took her hand and smiled.

“Relax ‘lena, I’m fine, I think this is good for me.” She said sweetly. Elena smiled back and nodded her head.

“You could help us pick the other dancers for the play.” She suggested. Caroline was supposed to run the dance studio along with Katherine and Elena, and even though she wasn’t in the equation anymore, they still asked for her opinions. Plus she had a great eye to spot good dancers.

“Are you still doing the auditions?” Caroline asked confused.

“Yep, for almost all the characters. Katherine decided I’ll play Odette this year and she’ll play Odile.” It only made sense since they were twins. It would be easier than having the same dancer do two different parts, like usually.

“So Katherine is the black swan, uh?” Caroline turned to look at Katherine and saw how she shamelessly flirted with the sound guy. “Couldn’t agree more.” Caroline said and the girls giggled.

.

Dancer after dancer made their way through the stage, showing the Gilbert twins and Caroline their best moves. Name by name the girls came up with a list for the play, and by the time they were done, Caroline felt exhausted. It had been emotionally draining to see all that people do what she wanted the most. It also broke her heart to remember what it felt like to be casted as the Swan Princess just to have it taken away so suddenly. She wasn’t mad at Elena, but she couldn’t help but envy her.

While the others prepared to close the place for the night, Caroline sneaked out to a private room. There, she connected her phone to the stereo and hit play on The Dying Swan, by Tchaikovsky. She knew the song by heart. She couldn’t remember the amount of hours she put in rehearsing the choreography.

Slowly, hesitatingly even, she started moving. One step here, one step there, arms up in the air like beautiful wings covered in white feathers. It was so easy for her to get lost in the fantasy where she was a beautiful white swan, lost in the sad music as the Swan Princess is supposed to die of heartbreak. The music carried her to a different world where she moved gracefully. Her movements were a little harsh, due the lack of practice, but elegant none the less.

And just like that, her body reached its limit for a day.

Caroline felt a sharp pain in her right leg that left her seeing the stars. She stumbled and fell down, her hands shooting to hold her knee as tears left her eyes. It was still as painful as the days after the accident.

“Caroline!” she heard a voice calling out and suddenly she had arms wrapped around her and she could see a curtain of brown wavy hair. She looked up to see Katherine holding her from behind, trying to sit her up. “It’s okay, I got you.” She said pushing Caroline’s blond locks away from her face.

Caroline broke down in her friend’s arms, crying her heart out.

“I was her! I was the Swan Princess!” She cried. “And after that, I was supposed to be Giselle! And Cinderella! Aurora! I was supposed to be all of them!” Katherine held her tighter against her chest. “Now no one will ever see me. I’ll never dance on a stage!” Caroline cried while her friend tried to sooth her. It took her a while, but eventually she stopped crying, and then Katherine heard her whisper “…I’ll never dance again.”

.

“Another suicide attempt.” Alaric said from across the desk. Klaus wouldn’t look up at him. For the first time, he didn’t look like the proud prick he was, but like someone vulnerable, someone ashamed.

“It didn’t go as far as that.” Klaus mumbled.

“Kimberly walked into your room in time to see you climbing up the balcony railing.” Alaric said in an accusing tone. Klaus turned his head to the other side, looking annoyed but also desperate.

“I’m tired.” He said softly. “I’m tired of feeling this way.”

Alaric took a breath. This was progress.

“Feelings come and go, they’re temporary. But suicide? That’s a permanent solution for a temporary problem.”

Klaus huffed.

“How do I stop feeling this way?”

“I’d love to tell you, but I don’t know. The first step is to acknowledge what exactly you’re feeling.”

Klaus took a breath and nodded. It took him a few minutes to get ready to open up.

“I feel guilty, over my brother’s death. I feel guilty for all the pain I put my family through…” He took another breath. “For the way I treated my last physiotherapist.”

“What about your other doctors?” Alaric asked, which rusted in Klaus glaring at him. “I’m pushing my luck here, sorry.” He said raising his hands in surrender. Klaus then continued.

“I feel… hopeless. Even if I managed to fix everything with my family and Caroline, my brother would still be dead.” He took a shaky breath. “I feel sad, lonely… just empty.”

Alaric nodded.

“This feeling of emptiness, has it always been there? Or is it new?”

Klaus took a moment to think about it.

“You’re good.” He said almost in a teasing tone.

“I didn’t get that far in my career for my good looks. But I take it that I was right to ask that?”

Klaus nodded.

“The feeling was there when the accident happen. When I first tried to kill myself in the pool. I had no reason to be alive. It never truly went away, but lately, these past few days it’s been stronger than ever.”

“Seems to me you found a reason to be alive, and then lost that reason too.”

Klaus looked at Alaric for a moment as the wheels in his head started to spin.

_Caroline._

He got so used to having her around, doing the sessions and reading out loud for her that once she’s gone, he missed her deeply.

“You don’t want to die. I can see that.” Alaric said. “Why else would you hold onto a reason to live, a reason to feel hopeful again? Maybe it didn’t work as you wanted, but you can find something else. Find something that helps you get up in the morning, hold onto that, and keep going.”

Klaus sat in silence, not knowing how to do that.

“I guess I could start by talking to Caroline.”

Alaric smiled.

“Great idea. I always thought you two could be good friends. I can’t imagine someone who understands what you’re going through better than her.”

“Why is that?”

“Because she went through something similar.” Alaric said shrugging. “How do you think she and I met?”

Klaus frowned.

“She was your patient?”

Alaric blinked, realizing he had just said too much.

“I’m not allowed to discuss about other patients… but yeah. She was.”

.

There were only two blocks between her apartment and the store, but Caroline could hardly wait to be home, put her pjs on and eat the lasagna and ice cream she just bought. She just wasn’t counting with finding someone waiting for her.

Klaus sat by the building front door, a bouquet of flowers on his lap. Caroline stopped walking when she spotted him and started gapping, not knowing what to say.

“Hello, love.” He said almost shyly.

“Klaus.” She breathed out. “What are you doing here?”

Klaus picked up the bouquet and looked down.

“I wanted to apologize and ask you to be my therapist again.”

Caroline sighed. It had been a long week and she was exhausted. She couldn’t picture herself putting up with Klaus’ rudeness.

But the flowers where a nice touch. She chewed her lower lip as she thought about it.

“Why?” She asked softly after a moment.

“I miss you.” He said with a small shrug. “You gave me a reason to get up in the morning. I miss that.”

Caroline looked at him surprised. She didn’t expect such reply. After a few seconds she smiled softly.

“You wanna come in and have dinner with me?” She asked and Klaus nodded his head.


	5. Every step you take

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Awesome news! I was nominated in the Klaroline Awards as Best Fluff Author and this fanfic was nominated as Most Promising New Fiction. I’m sooooo happy! And I have all of you to thank to for nominating me! I wasn’t expecting it at all, this is the first time I’m nominated! SO THANK YOU!
> 
> Voting is super easy and there are a lot of categories and a lot of awesome fanfictions/authors nominated. You can also vote for best blogs and graphics (those who edit gifs), so check it out in Tumblr as “klarolineawards”.
> 
> Also I wanna thank Dreamer Helical for leaving an awesome review. They know someone who had a spinal cord injury like Klaus does here and turns out I didn’t get all my facts wrong. In your face hating anon!! LOL
> 
> I’m sorry it took me weeks to upload, I’ve been super busy, and life has been a bitch lately. Alright, now back to the fanfic.

_“What are you doing here?”_

_Klaus picked up the bouquet and looked down._

_“I wanted to apologize and ask you to be my therapist again.”_

_Caroline sighed. It had been a long week and she was exhausted. She couldn’t picture herself putting up with Klaus’ rudeness._

_But the flowers where a nice touch. She chewed her lower lip as she thought about it._

_“Why?” She asked softly after a moment._

_“I miss you.” He said with a small shrug. “You gave me a reason to get up in the morning. I miss that.”_

_Caroline looked at him surprised. She didn’t expect such reply. After a few seconds she smiled softly._

_“You wanna come in and have dinner with me?” She asked and Klaus nodded his head._

.

After helping Klaus get in and out of the elevator , they made it to her apartment. Klaus looked around as she placed her grocery bags on the kitchen counter and put everything away.

The place was small, but cozy. The walls were painted in a bright, apple green. There was an old TV in front of a red couch and a brown coffee table. On the wall she hung a set of paintings, all with different kinds of butterflies and there were Christmas lights hanging around the window.

It was so Caroline.

“Do you like lasagna?” Caroline asked from the kitchen.

“Who doesn’t?” Klaus said back. At that Caroline laughed, and Klaus found that sounds beautiful.

He kept looking around and saw she had a few framed pictures with who he guessed were her friends and one blonde woman that looked a lot like her. Probably her mother.

“I hope you like it.” He heard Caroline say, and when he turned around he found her setting down the table. “It’s not that good, I bought it already made at the store.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.” He said while wheeling his chair towards the table. It was odd being in a situation like this with Caroline. Here she wasn’t his therapist, and he wasn’t her boss. Here they were just two people eating lasagna.

They fell into an awkward silence. He could tell she wanted to say something, that she was the kind of person that couldn’t stand being too quiet for too long. And he was right.

“I was really surprised to see you today.” She eventually said. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it either.” He confessed.

“What changed?” She asked before taking her last bite.

Klaus thought about it for a moment.

“Remember I said you gave me a reason to get up in the morning?” Caroline nodded. “It had been so long since I had something good going on in my life. We built a routine, you would come and do your job and I would read out loud, it was soothing. I found myself waiting for that moment every day.”

They sat there in silence while Caroline processed those words.

“Sounds to me you were just bored and needed something to distract you. You didn’t have to come all the way here for me.”

Klaus nodded his head and opened his mouth a couple of times, not sure of what to say next.

“I know, but… I spoke to Saltzman today, it was very helpful…”

“That’s what he does.” Caroline said simply.

“You would know, right?” Klaus asked. It wasn’t in an accusing tone, it was almost shy. He didn’t want to offend or upset Caroline anymore. She didn’t get angry, she just looked down. “He told me you were his patient once.”

Caroline nodded her head.

“I was, years ago.”

“I thought, perhaps, if there was anyone out there that could help me, it would be someone that understands what I’m going through.” Klaus explained. “May I ask why?” He asked softly, trying not to push his luck too much.

Caroline sighed and got up.

“I think it’s better if show you.” She walked around the table and started pushing his wheelchair through the apartment. She leaded him down a small hall to a door. Klaus opened it for her and she finished pushing the chair inside.

Klaus was amazed by what he saw. An entire room dedicated to trophies and awards, pictures of Caroline dancing, outfits and ballerina shoes.

“This is all yours?” he asked astonished.

“Mhmm.. my entire life. And it fits in one room.” She said walking around the place.

“I didn’t know you dance.” He commented.

“I did. And I was damn good at it.” She said walking to one of the framed pictures on the wall. It was from her first day at Juilliard. “A prodigy, according to some. Ballet was always my passion, I loved it and I had a bright future ahead.”

“What happened?” Klaus asked, completely immersed in her story.

“Seven years ago, I was getting ready to play the lead in a production of the The Swan Lake. It was my first big ballet, my break through, you know?” She shook her head. “One night after rehearsal I left the studio, it was dark and I was so excited because the big opening night was just a week away, I kept twirling around. I didn’t see a car coming my way. The driver was this drunk kid that had the lights off…” She took a deep breath as memories of that night flashed in front of her eyes. “It hit me, right here.” She said leaning down and marking a line around her left knee. “I flew across the hood and hit the windshield. The driver stood on the brakes and I was thrown against the pavement. I woke up three days later at the hospital and my leg felt like it was on fire.” Caroline had to stop to wipe some tears that had rolled down her cheeks.

“You couldn’t dance anymore…” Klaus concluded for her.

“I held onto the idea of treatment and rehabilitation, and it did help, but to play the lead in a big production, I needed to be able to dance eight hours straight in rehearsals… And I can’t.”

“That’s when you met Saltzman.”

Caroline nodded.

“I got depressed. I thought that if I couldn’t dance then I might as well be dead. I was like you back then, I didn’t want see anyone, or talk to anyone. I didn’t see the point. My mom didn’t give up on me, though. She made me see all these kinds of specialists. And after several failed attempts, I met Alaric. He was a young doctor at the time, he was just starting his career and he had this fresh and new approach the other doctors didn’t have.”

“What did he do?” Klaus asked curiously.

“He took me to a clinic where I met a lot of people with different injuries. People without arms or legs, people in wheelchairs. Even kids. They all had different expectations of how life would be. And he made me talk to all of them, to sit down and listen to their stories. There was this guy that was in an explosion and lost both arms. He was a painter, so he went though the same thing I did. He lost that one thing that made him happy. I asked him “What are you going to do now?” And he just shrugged. “I’ll learn how to paint with my feet”. Every now and then I read about him in a magazine. This famous guy with no arms that can paint with his feet.”

Klaus smiled.

“Alaric knew that it would inspire you.”

Caroline nodded.

“I decided to take everything that I had left and make something good with it. I couldn’t dance, but I found therapy and injuries fascinating, and most of all I knew what it felt like to lose a part of myself. I wanted to help people to get better so they wouldn’t have to give up what they loved. A week after I applied to go to school, and here I am now.”

“What about this room? Doesn’t it hurt every time you walk in?” He said raising his arms to point around him.

“It did for a while. Don’t get me wrong, it still hurts and I still cry about it every now and then, but it got a lot easier through the years.” She nodded her head. “Now this room is a reminder of how far I can make it in life. I was one of the best dancers, who says I can’t be the best in something else?”

Klaus smiled at that. She was a tough and ambitious cookie. He also understood how strong she was, so much more than he ever imagined.

“This is why you suggested Alaric to be my shrink. You knew he could handle stubborn patients like me.” He said teasingly.

Caroline smiled softly and shook her head.

“I knew he could handle people who felt hopeless.” She corrected.

Klaus knew he shouldn’t be so surprised to see she could read him so well. They were very much alike after all, but it seemed like she understood him in a way he didn’t himself.

He did feel hopeless. There was no denying it, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, or look strong, she could see right through him.

In that moment the last of his defenses broke down.

“I want to be able to walk again.” He confessed. He didn’t know but Caroline’s heart broke at the sight of one single tear rolling down his cheek. “I feel so selfish for just thinking it. Here I am, wanting to get on with my life while my little brother is dead. I have no right.”

“Being in a wheelchair and punishing yourself won’t bring him back.” Caroline argued, and Klaus knew she was right. “There’s nothing selfish in wanting to be healthy and have a life. Wouldn’t your brother want you to be happy?”

Klaus nodded. Henrik was such a sweet boy, he would never want this life for Klaus.

“You took a huge step today.” Caroline said. “Now you can begin to heal. It won’t be easy, but I will be there with you each step of the way, both figurate and literally.” She promised.

Later that night, Klaus had his driver pick him up. Caroline watched from the sidewalk as his wheelchair was lifted and placed inside the van. He smiled at her and before the driver could close the door, he called out for her.

“Will I see you tomorrow, then?” He asked.

Caroline smiled and nodded.

“Of course.”

.

“Where is Niklaus?” Elijah asked as soon as he spotted Rebekah in the living room. He couldn’t find his brother anywhere, and it worried him. Klaus had been locked up in the house for almost a year. He disappearing wasn’t a good sign, and Elijah feared this was another suicide attempt.

“I don’t know, but I do know he called in for a ride, so he might be on his way home.” Rebekah replied.

As luck would have it, in that moment Elijah spotted Klaus wheeling his chair down the hall towards the elevator.

“Niklaus!” Elijah called out, making Klaus stop and turn his chair around. “Where you been?”

“I was with Caroline.” He replied simply before turning back around. “I’m a grown man, I don’t think I need permission to leave my own house, do I?” He said, but to Elijah it sounded more as a teasing joke than his usual bitterness.

Elijah and Rebekah exchanged confused looks before Elijah decided to go after his brother.

“I thought you fired her.” He commented.

“I did, and I just hired her again.” Klaus replied while entering the elevator specifically made for his chair.

“Why?” Elijah asked confused as he stepped in after his bother.

“Because I want to walk again.” Klaus said. Elijah’s shock and joy must have been obvious because Klaus rolled his eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up. It’s been almost a year, maybe by now it’s impossible for me to walk again.”

Elijah nodded, it sounded reasonable.

“I understand. However these are really good news.”

“I suppose.”

Soon after that, the elevator opened its doors again once it reached the second floor, where Klaus’ room was. He wheeled himself down the hall while Elijah just watched him in surprise. He was still shocked.

Caroline changed his brother’s mind.

Maybe there was hope after all…


	6. The muse

The day had arrived, the anniversary of Henrik’s death. It was so damn painful Klaus felt like drowning all day. He couldn’t breathe. There was this pressure on his chest and pit in his stomach that had him wishing the day was over. The pain would still be there the next day, he wasn’t kidding himself, but that particular day he barely could live with himself.

His siblings and parents were sad, of course, but they were also worried about him. He has progressed so much since the day he told Caroline he wanted to walk again and they’ve been working daily in getting him back on his feet. It would be a damn shame if all this pain set him back to blaming himself and wanting to punish himself by staying paralyzed, or worse.

Caroline had the day off, and she knew why. The Mikaelsons needed that day to grieve. They planned going to the cemetery together to leave fresh flowers and mourn.  Even Kol Mikaelson, the youngest of the siblings, came back early from his trip across Europe, to be there that day.

At the cemetery, they all took turns to have a moment alone. Of course Mrs. Mikaleson had been devastated, and her husband had to support her and take her back to the car.  Kol spent a good hour telling Henrik about his trip, and Rebekah just read out loud one of Henrik’s favorites stories. Elijah kept it simple, just told his brother he missed him and loved him very much.

Klaus was a little bit different. He rolled his chair to Hernik’s grave stone and sat in silence for a moment. There were so many things Klaus wanted to say, but at the same time he felt stupid, because his brother wouldn’t actually hear them.

What was the point? His own peace of mind? Did he even deserve some peace?

Klaus sighed and ran a hand down his face.

“I’m so sorry Henrik.” He started. “For everything. For taking you with me that night, for being so careless. I’m sorry for not being able to protect you. And I’m sorry I have to continue living while you’re gone.”

The ride home was quiet, very quiet. Elijah drove the van equipped for Klaus’ chair, while the rest of the family rode in another car. Usually silence didn’t bother either of them. In fact, Elijah was a very quiet man. But the air was heavy with tension, and none of them knew how t break it.

To their surprise, when they arrived to the manor, there was certain blonde young lady waiting by the door.

“Caroline, darling.” Esther greeted her. “I thought we told you to take the day off.”

Caroline smiled and nodded.

“You did, but I’m here for social purposes.” She replied. “I even bought a casserole. My mom always says to never visit a friend empty handed.” She added while holding the tray with food and tinfoil .

“I’ll be taking that.” Kol said as he walked pass her and took the tray. “I’m starving.”

“Kol! Don’t be rude!” Caroline heard Mikael say after his son. Esther simple smiled and gave Caroline’s hand a gentle squeeze before walking inside the house with the rest of the family, except Elijah and Klaus.

“What brings you by, love?” Klaus asked as his brother helped him push his chair up the ramp.

Caroline smiled and shrugged. She looked adorable, and even though Klaus had seen her in her regular clothes, like the day he had lasagna at her place, this was the first time he saw her wearing a flowery dress and her hair down in waves. Klaus couldn’t help but take in her long legs and how beautiful she looked.

“I thought you could use a friend today.”

“What a lovely gesture.” Elijah commented. “I was thinking about taking Niklaus to an art gallery.”

“You were?” Klaus asked confused. Elijah never discussed this with him. Klaus knew what he was doing. Elijah wanted him to paint again, something he hasn’t done since the accident. Like many other things in life, Klaus believed he didn’t deserve art.

“Sounds wonderful!” Caroline said. “I wouldn’t want to intrude a bonding moment between brothers, though.”

“Not at all. Right, Niklaus?” Elijah asked. Between the adorable smile on Caroline’s face, and his brother, Klaus had no way to refuse.

“Sure. The more, the merrier.”

Soon Klaus found himself being pushed inside the Santa Cruz Cultural Center, where a young woman presented a collection of drawings and paintings.

Elijah, being the busy businessman he was, paid more attention to his phone than anything else in the room, but Klaus didn’t mind, since he got Caroline’s attention all to himself.

“So you like art?” She asked, clearly making an attempt to small talk.

“That’s a given.” He replied with a scoff, but when Caroline looked at him, he chuckled and saw her relax. He still had his grumpy moments, but lately he felt more prone to use it to prank the people around him. He even made his father laugh once during a family dinner, which wasn’t an easy task. “I love art, actually. I used to paint and draw too.” He explained as he rolled his wheelchair to the next work of art.”

“Really?” Caroline asked impressed. “Are any of the paintings at you house one of yours?”

“No.” Klaus shook his head. “There used to be, but I asked Elijah to take them down after the accident.”

“Why?”

Klaus shrugged.

“I lost my muse, and the paintings at the house painfully reminded it to me every day.”

Caroline nodded her head and stood in silence. If anyone understood Klaus, it was her. She had a room filled with her unfulfilled dreams.

“Maybe you could get your muse back.” She said after a moment. Klaus smiled sadly. Maybe he could, but he wasn’t counting with it. “You just need something that inspires you.” She shrugged before turning her attention to the painting they were supposed to be looking at.

Klaus looked at her instead. Ivory skin, blue eyes, blonde hair. With the right light, she looked like a vision. Maybe, just maybe… his muse was closer than he thought.

.

“Did you enjoy yourself, Miss Forbes?” Elijah asked as he secured Klaus back inside the van.

“Absolutely! Thank you so much for letting me to tag along.” She said with a nod. “I love all kinds of arts and their exhibitions. One of the reasons why I loved dancing so much was because I loved the crowd.”

“You dance?” Elijah asked.

“I used to. Now I make others dance.” She said directing a wink to Klaus.

The only thing dancing was his heart.

.

After that day, Caroline went back being Miss Forbes, Klaus’ therapist, but the mood in the house improved, and Klaus was more open to try new things, such as Alaric’s “prescribed” activities, and some exercise Caroline wanted him to try.

It took weeks and a lot of frustration, but eventually Klaus started improving and stared moving his legs. The day he finally managed to stand up, he swore he saw Caroline wipe away a tear. He still needed to hold onto something, since his legs couldn’t support him, but this was very promising progress.

With each passing day, Klaus felt his confidence grow stronger, as he saw the results from the therapy. Every day Caroline would help him get up from the chair and move his feet while he held onto two bars. She said his body needed to learn how to walk again, and it would take a while. Babies don’t learn how to walk in one day. Neither would Klaus, no matter how much that wounded his ego.

At the end of the day, Caroline would massage Klaus’ sore muscles and he would read to her out loud. He would sneak a glance whenever he could take a pause from the words on the paper, so he could watch her work.

She was beautiful, in every sense of the word. It still ached to feel not man enough for her. He would never be able to ask her out, even if he walked again. He was too broken to deserve her. And she was his therapist, nothing more.

.

“Get ready, Klaus! We’re doing something different today!” Caroline announced as she walked in. Klaus just chuckled.

“Good morning to you too, love.” He said teasingly. “Do tell, what are we doing today?”

“We’re doing today’s session in at the pool!” She said excitedly. Klaus tilted his head and looked at her with a frown.

“I can’t swim.”

Caroline rolled her eyes.

“You don’t need to. I asked your mother to make sure she was okay with this, and we prepared the pool with the equipment. The pool isn’t even full, just for safety.” She said walking to his dresser. Klaus watched speechless as she went through his clothes.

“What are you doing?”

“Water is very therapeutic and can do wonders in patients like yourself… A-HA!” She said pulling something out of the dresser. “Here, get changed and meet my by the pool.” She said handing him a piece of clothing before walking out. Klaus looked at it and realized it was his old swimming trunks.

 “Oh, lord…”

.

Klaus rolled out the elevator and towards the pool. Like Caroline said, the equipment was already there. It was simply the usual two bars, but they added a ramp into the pool, and next to it was a common wheel chair, one without an engine so he could roll into the water.

“There you are!” He heard Caroline said and when he turned, his jaw dropped. She wore a one piece swimming suit, and while it wasn’t as revealing as a bikini, Klaus still got to chance to take in her long legs and curves. “You ready for this?” She asked while rubbing one of her arms, and he realized she was putting on sunscreen.

“I guess.” He said before switching to the other chair, not without effort. Even if he never got to walk away, he got to brag how strong his arms were due all the times he had to use them for support.

Caroline poured more sunscreen on the palm of her hand and then handed him the bottle.

“First, you need sunscreen. If you get sunburn we won’t be able to do this again.”

Klaus nodded and started putting it on his chest and face when he suddenly felt Caroline’s hands on his shoulders. He snapped his head back and looked at him over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?!” He asked a little louder than needed. Caroline blinked confused and frowned.

“I’m helping you with the back.” She said almost shyly. “You can’t reach this far…”

Klaus’ shoulders dropped. He felt like an ass.

“Forgive me, you took me by surprise.”

Caroline chuckled.

“Klaus Mikaelson, apologizing… That’s a first.”

Klaus scoffed and went back to putting sunscreen on himself, but not without paying attention to Caroline’s hands on his back. It had been so long since a woman had touched him in a more intimate way. She was still his therapist, but this was different from the usual exercises and massages. He has never been so glad that he had troubles getting a boner.

Once he was ready, Caroline pushed his chair down the ramp and into the pool. The spent over an hour doing different exercises and Klaus realized it was easier to move in the water. He had a hard time trying to avoid looking at Caroline’s breast, though.

He’s a gentleman!

…But he’s also a man.

And she was ridiculously beautiful.

.

At the end of the day, once dry and dressed, Klaus said goodbye to Caroline by the door and watched her leave, not without the promise of another session in the pool the next day.

“Boy, I wouldn’t mind rolling down the stairs if I got a therapist that good looking!” a voice said and Klaus turned to see his brother Kol leaning against the wall.

“That was a tasteless joke.”Elijah replied as he walked in.

“I have to agree with Elijah.” Klaus said. “Do you think it’s fun to be in a wheelchair?”

Kol raised his hands in surrender.

“No. I’m just saying it didn’t come without its perks.”

“Whatever you say. I’m going to rest, I’m exhausted.” Klaus said before turning his wheelchair to the elevator.

Kol smirked.

“Of course you are! There was a lot of action in the pool today!” He teased but Klaus didn’t give him the satisfaction of replying.


	7. One step closer

 

“K-Klaus...” Caroline moaned as his red, full lips traced up and down her neck.

“Your moans are so sweet.” Klaus whispered, his hand slipping under her shirt and cupping her breast. Caroline’s back arched and brought her chest closer to him. “Let me touch you, love…” He sighed happily. “I want to hear more.”

“We-We shouldn’t.” Caroline protested. Klaus pulled back and smirked.

“Perhaps. But you want this, don’t you?” He took her chin between his index finger and thumb. “Tell me you don’t want this. I dare you.”

Caroline’s defenses came down and she trembled.

“I want this, so much.”

Klaus leaned to kiss her…

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

Caroline groaned as she rolled on her bed and stopped her alarm. This was the third time she woke up hot and frustrated, and mostly, confused.

Yes, Klaus was ridiculously good looking, and despite his first impression and how rude he used to be to Caroline, she had to admit he grew on her. Somehow he managed to make her smile a lot lately, and she was always fascinated by his stories.

She understood that behind those deep blue eyes and serious face was a broken man, looking for something to hold on to. A man with passions, ambitions, and a heart.

But he was her patient. It was wrong to feel this way!

She just couldn’t help it. There was something about him that called out to her. At first, she thought it was expected to grow fond of him, since they spent almost every day together. But her feelings grew to be something else. Something forbidden.

Klaus was walking again. It was a slow process and they still had some work to do, but Caroline knew it was a matter of time before he didn’t need the rehabilitation anymore. Her time with him was running out and Caroline feared she would never see him again.

Sadly, she didn’t have time for this. The day started, and she had to yet get out of bed.

Caroline took a very much needed cold shower, had some breakfast and she was ready to face the world again.

Her phone beeped and she opened the text message.

_From Klaus_

_Good morning, love. I was hoping we could rearrange today’s session._

Caroline rolled her eyes. He was always so proper, even through text message. She then typed her reply.

_From Caroline_

_No problem. What do you have in mind?_

_From Klaus_

_Meet me at the Cultural Center at 8pm._

8pm? That was late… Caroline found it weird, but she went along with it.

_From Caroline_

_Alright. See you then._

_From Klaus_

_Wonderful! Wear something nice._

_._

It was 7:58 when she arrived. She fixed her dress as she got out of the car. It wasn’t fancy, just a summer dress and flats, but it was better than her usual uniform. It was dark outside, and for what she could see, it was dark inside too. She pushed the door open and looked around.

“Klaus?” She called out. She heard some movement and then small lights started to appear. Lots and lots of Christmas lights lit up around a stage. It looked like a dream.

“Good evening, love.” Klaus said as he appeared. He could walk, but not without the help of a walker. He still managed to look very handsome in black pants and a white button up shirt.

“What’s going on?” Caroline asked confused.

“You told me and Elijah once you loved dancing because you loved the crowd. Tonight it’s just me, alone. It might not be a crowd, but I was hoping you would be willing to dance for me.” He said sounding hopeful. “As long as it doesn’t hurt your knee.”

Caroline stared at him and blinked a couple of times before reacting. He wanted to see her dance? It has been so long since the last time she danced in front of someone. Sure, she made a few moves to the students at the Gilbert’s studio, but never actually danced. She looked around the place and took in the lovely setting. He worked hard to do it, didn’t he?

“Sure.” She said simply, incapable of saying no to him.

Klaus lighted up the room with his smile, making Caroline’s heart skip a beat. As she walked to the little stage and noticed a music equipment in a corner. Caroline picked her phone from her bag and looked for a good song to dance.

She chose “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri, plugged her phone in and kicked her flats off.

 _Heart beats fast_ __  
Colors and promises  
How to be brave?

When the lyrics started, she appeared on the stage from a side in a simple step.

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?_

Caroline let herself fall on the stage and Klaus tensed.

_But watching you stand alone,_ _  
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow._

But then she rolled gracefully in the floor and got up.

Klaus’ breath hitched as she moved gracefully around the stage. Her legs looked impossibly long, her dress twirled with every movement.

_One step closer…_

When the chorus begun, Caroline started spinning very fast.

 _I have died every day waiting for you_ __  
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you  
For a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more

Caroline leant down and lifted one leg in the air, her arms moving like they were wings. It was like the music flowed from her heart to her fingertips.

She looked like an angel as she danced the entire song.

She jumped and spread her legs, she twirled and turned and bent backwards and did all these moves that somehow felt powerful to Klaus, like they had a history behind them.

By the end of the song, Klaus clapped energetically. He wanted to give her a standing ovation, so he got up, not without difficulties and holding onto the walker. He tried to maintain his balance the best he could so he could let go of the walker and clap.

Caroline’s heart swelled at that.

She realized something then. Maybe she didn’t need to dance for a big crowd. She just needed to dance for the right person.

.

**_Dear Miss Forbes,_ **

**_We consider you a prodigy in the art of dancing ballet and we would be very honored if you could teach the students in our academy._ **

Caroline’s eyes opened widely at those words. When she picked her mail that morning, this was the last thing she would’ve expected.

**_We’re asking you in advance so you have time to think about it and give us an answer. We are more than willing to help you move to New York and find you a place to stay. You would be in charge of teaching our most advanced and talented students, and since you have experience in the business, we would also like you to prepare the ballet shows._ **

**_Please consider our offer and take your time to make a decision. Classes won’t start until next year._ **

The letter was signed by the authorities of The School of American Ballet, a school linked to the New York City Ballet. Working for them would be a dream come true.

But Caroline’s heart dropped. She had to move to New York.


	8. You touched my heart, you touched my soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for the lack of updates and short chapters. I recently got a new job and it takes all of my time.

Caroline didn’t know what to do. Her heart was divided. Any other day she would’ve been over the moon after receiving that letter. But now? Not so much.  
She knew that she really didn’t have something holding her back. Yes, she had her friends there in Santa Cruz, and her job. But this was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.   
Deep down she knew why she didn’t want to leave.   
Klaus.  
She was in love with him. Since the night she danced for him, she couldn’t deny her feels for him anymore, and the thought of never seeing him again made her heart ache and her stomach turn. But he was her patient. It was wrong, unprofessional. And even if he wasn’t, she wasn’t entirely sure he would feel the same way.   
He had been very thoughtful, and she felt his eyes on her every now and then while she worked. Not every man would take the time to decorate a stage with fairy lights and make it look so romantic for a woman if he didn’t have feelings for her. But what if she was reading these signs wrong? Her job let her be quite intimate with him, while still being professional.   
Still, she held onto the hope of something happening between them. And now that tiny little hope was being crushed.   
Not knowing what to do, she looked for support and advice in her friends.  
“Care, these are amazing news!” Elena said proudly as she handed the letter to her sister for her to read. “You must be so excited.” She added while jumping from the couch to hugher friend.  
“Oh!” Caroline exclaimed surprised but hugged her back anyway. “Yeah, I guess.” She said.  
Elena quickly pulled back and looked at her confused.   
“Why aren’t you more excited? Is it because you have to move?”  
“Maybe…” Caroline replied, not knowing something better to say.”  
“Nah, that’s not it.” Katherine said. “You’ve always been one for adventure, you dreamed of living in New York because that’s where you could perform, and ballet is your life.” She added. “And now you don’t look excited. There’s something else holding you back.”  
Damn Katherine, she could read Caroline so well.  
The time to come clear finally arrived and Caroline sat down with a sigh. She told her friends everything that was going on about Klaus, from their rocky start to the night he made her dance for him. She told them about their fights and the time she spent the day with him because it was the anniversary of Henrik’s death.   
She told them everything.  
And of course they had questions, but Katherine’s were lighthearted like “Is he hot?” while Elena’s were… a little bit more judgmental.   
“Isn’t it wrong for you to be romantically involved with a patient?” Elena asked rhetorically.  
Caroline looked down and nodded.  
“Yes, that’s why I haven’t acted on these feelings.”  
“But he won’t be her patient for much longer.” Katherine commented with a smirk. “He’ll be well enough to walk on his own soon and you won’t be his therapist anymore.”  
Elena looked scandalized.  
“It would still be unprofessional, right?”  
“Oh come on, cut her some slack!” Katherine told her sister. “No one chooses who we fall in love with. You heard her yourself, she hated the guy at first, but these things happen.” Then she turned to Caroline. “Forget about him being your patient and you being professional. The problem here is that you have to choose and you don’t know what to do. Stay here for this guy, even though you don’t even have a relationship yet, or go to New York and make your dream come true.”  
Caroline swallowed hardly.  
“Is he worth all that?” Elena asked. Caroline wanted to say yes.  
.  
The day finally arrived. This would be Klaus’ last physiotherapy with Caroline.   
The past year had been a roller coaster of emotions. He lost his brother and his capacity to walk. He even lost his will to live. But then he met Caroline, started walking again, and now he had a reason to wake up every morning. Sadly, he couldn’t do anything about his feelings towards her because she was his therapist.  
That is, until now.  
Klaus didn’t remember the last time he was this nervous. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say to her. They had to go to one last session first, but maybe at the end of the day he could make a move. Or at least taste the field; see if he could meet her again sometime.  
The truth is, he was afraid this would be the last time he saw her. What if she started working with another patient and left Klaus to move on with his life? The thought of never seeing her again made him feel sick. If only he knew she felt the same way about him, all the anxiety would be gone.  
That day Caroline arrived a few minutes early, as usual, and was received at the door by Rebekah.  
“I’m glad you came early, I made some tea! I just wanted to talk a little bit since today is your last session with Nik, right?” she asked as she leaded Caroline into the living room  
“Yeah, it is.” Caroline replied and sat down on the couch in front of Rebekah, who handed her a cup of tea.  
“I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done. I’m so happy to see Klaus walking again.” Rebekah said happily, and quite emotionally, which was something Caroline wasn’t used to yet. She wished she could’ve got to know Rebekah a little bit better.  
“I was just doing my job.” Caroline replied, trying to keep her face even.  
“Still, I think he will finally be able to move on with his life, which is what Henrik would’ve wanted.”  
Caroline smiled softly and nodded.  
Klaus was making his way down the stairs –he never thought he would use those again, too used to using the elevator due to his chair-, he was still nervous, and when he heard the door bell ring, his heart jumped in his chest. But as he got closer to the first floor, he heard Rebekah and Caroline talking.  
“Do you know who your next patient will be?” his sister asked.  
“Actually…” Caroline hesitated. “I’m quitting my job.” At that Klaus stopped walking and leaned against the wall that separated the living room from the hall.  
“You are?” Rebekah asked surprised.  
“I got a job offer in New York, I don’t know if you know this but I used to dance ballet and I got requested by The School of American Ballet to teach.”  
Klaus’ heart dropped. He swore he could hear it break in thousands of pieces. She was moving away, and he would never see her again. He leaned against the wall for more support as he felt like his world was crumbling down –again-. When did he fall in love with her this deeply? Why was this affecting him so much? He felt like he couldn’t breathe, like there was some heavy weight on his chest.  
“That’s wonderful! It’s a shame you have to move across the country.” Rebekah said.   
“Yeah…” Caroline said softly.  
“But The School of American Ballet, that’s huge, isn’t it? It must be a dream come true.” Rebekah added.  
“You have no idea. I always wanted to dance. I can’t now, but at least I can direct the dance shows and teach the future stars, that’s itself is a huge honor.” Caroline replied with a tone much lighter.  
Klaus couldn’t help but smile softly at this. That was his Caroline, so full of light, so passionate about what she loved. This was her chance, the one thing that would take her a step closer to her dream. Who was he to get in her way? After all she went through, she deserved to be happy. He, more than anyone else, understood that.  
He couldn’t hold her back. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t be stand in her way to be happy.  
So he put on a brave face and walked into the living room.  
“New York, uh? Make sure to send a post card.” He said with a smirk.  
Caroline looked at him and smiled softly, but Klaus it didn’t look as bright as it should have.  
“I will.” She put her now empty tea cup down and got up. “Ready for our last session?”  
“Ready.” He lied.  
.  
Two weeks later, Klaus found himself doing something he used to love, but after the accident he thought he would never do. He went on a long walk on the beach at night.  
That night, unlike the one when Henrik died, the sky was clear and the waves were soft. The ocean was calm and the breeze felt like a sweet caress on the skin. It was painful to think he used to do this all the time, looking for inspiration for another painting, but then abruptly stopped after the accident.   
He savored the feeling of his feet touching the sand or the cold water at the shore. He missed that. To know he lost all this once and now he had it back was overwhelming. And he knew who he had to thank for.  
Taking a deep breath, Klaus pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed Caroline’s phone.  
She picked up shortly after that.  
“Hello?”  
“Good evening, love.” He said smiling at the sound of her voice.  
“Klaus… hi… What’s up? Everything okay?”  
“I know your flight leaves early in the morning, so I won’t take much of your time. I’m standing on the beach, looking up at the full moon and I can’t help but think something is missing… you.”  
Caroline didn’t say anything, but Klaus heard her breath hitch.  
“I wish I could have said it in person but I don’t I would’ve been brave enough. And I don’t mean brave enough to say it, but to actually let you go.”  
“Klaus…”  
Caroline’s voice was shaky.  
“You deserve happiness, Caroline, and I’m not about to stand in your way. I’m not going to ask you to stay for me. I just wanted to tell you this because you need to know how meaningful you are to me. You found me as a broken man, you put my pieces back together and fixed me, and for that I’m forever grateful. I know you had hard moments in your life too, so if you ever feel low, I want you to remember that you’re beautiful, you’re strong, full of light, and there’s nothing you can’t do. You made me love again, that’s quite the miracle.”  
At this point he could hear Caroline crying softly in the other end.  
“Goodbye, love. Be happy.”


	9. Back on business

_“Good bye, love. Be happy.”_

**3 years later…**

Caroline walked into the small but cozy apartment with her arms holding bags and papers.

“Tyler? Are you home?” She called out while putting her purse and the mail down on a little table by the door. But no one replied.

Caroline frowned as she placed a bag of food on the kitchen counter and then walked into the living room. The place was empty.

It was weird, since Tyler told her he would be home by then so they could have dinner and celebrate his promotion, so Caroline took her phone and dialed his number. It took a few tries before he picked up.

_“Hello?”_

“Ty, where are you?”

_“Sorry Care, I’m still at the office.”_

“What about dinner? You were supposed to meet me at home by now.”

_“Shit! That was tonight? I’m so sorry babe, but I don’t think I can leave any time soon. The promotion came with a lot more work.”_

 “I thought the whole point of you being a partner now is that you could have an assistant and you could delegate some of the work.” Caroline pointed out.

_“I know. Listen, I’ll make it up to you, okay? I promise. I have to go now. Save me some chicken?”_

“Sure.” Caroline replied softly.

_“Love you.”_

“Love you too.” She said before hanging up.

The apartment was completely silent and after a long day of work preparing her next ballet show, Caroline thought she would be grateful. She could take a bath and relax with a glass of wine, but for some reason she felt restless.

So she did what she always does: bury herself in work. At the time she was producing Romeo and Juliet, her next big show and one of the people’s favorite. Everything was almost ready, seeing the big opening night was just a few weeks away.

The costume department made a wonderful work. The theater had its own lighting team that worked with Caroline before and she adored them. And she had students from the Tisch School of the Arts doing the scenographies, which looked amazing. But Caroline, being her old self, needed to make sure everything was perfect. So she made sure her students went to rehearsal and worked hard, maybe too hard, but to her practice made perfection.

But smaller things needed to be done, like designing the program and the tickets in time to have them printed, do some advertising, and call some critics and reporters for them to write about the show in the newspapers. Things that stressed Caroline endlessly and yet she wouldn’t let anyone else do it, because everything had to be perfect.

She took her chance to open a bottle of wine and pour herself a glass. It had been a while since she could let her hair down for a little bit. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she talked to Tyler about something else other than the show or his job, or anything that wasn’t related to their actual relationship. Working for The School of American Ballet was exhausting and it implied a lot of sacrifices, but to her, it was all worth it.

She hasn’t even had a chance to catch up with her mail in a week and she was sure there was a post card or two from her mother in the pile she kept by the door. So when she decided to give up on picking a design for the program -just for the night because she would be back at it the next day- she poured herself another glass and go through the pile.

Indeed there was a post card from her mother. None from her father, but that wasn’t a surprise. There was a letter from Elena, where she told Caroline about her son’s first words and how her husband Damon was planning on opening a bar. She mentioned something about Damon’s brother moving to New York to be some big artist’s manager, but didn’t go into details.

Katherine wasn’t in Santa Cruz anymore. If anyone could make it as a professional ballet dancer, it was Katherine-freaking-Pierce –artistic name, of course, Gilbert didn’t sound exotic enough- and now she could be found in Saint-Pétersbourg, dancing for the Ballet Mariinski.

A lot had changed in three years.

The next thing on the pile was the newest edition of an art magazine Caroline was subscribed to –along with some fashion magazines, but who would blame her?-. She flipped through the pages while sipping her wine, lost in her own little world, when she came up to a photograph that shocked her.

Blue eyes looked back at her from the page, the same eyes that haunted her for years.

Klaus Mikaelson lounged on a fancy leather chair with a glass of bourbon in his hand and smiled seductively to the camera.

The article was an interview that presented him a young and upcoming painter who was about to open his own art gallery in New York. It promised to be a mixture between abstract art and some paintings from his personal background.

Caroline quickly put her glass on the coffee table in front of her and took her phone. She unlocked the screen and texted her friend Bonnie.

_“Are you awake? I need to talk to you ASAP.”_

Her friend’s reply came almost instantly to Caroline’s relief.

_“Yes. Wasn’t tonight your dinner with Tyler?”_

_“He cancelled again. But that’s not what I need to talk to you about.”_

_“Something is more important that tonight’s dinner? Must be a big deal. Meet me at Enzo’s?”_

Caroline smiled at Bonnie’s suggestion.

_“Of course.”_

Bonnie was the first and most important friend Caroline made when she moved to New York. She showed Caroline around and took her to all these hidden gems in the city where all kinds of artists would perform.

Bonnie was a dancer as well, but she had a more modern and conceptual approach rather than the classical ballet.

And Enzo was Bonnie’s boyfriend, who also owned a cool, hole on the wall kind of bar. Underground artists would perform there every now and then, and they had karaoke night, which Caroline loved and used as an excuse to sing.

By the time Caroline got to the bar, Bonnie was sitting on a stool and talking to her boyfriend, who also bartended the place.

“Pour me a strong one, Enzo.” She said as she sat next to her friend.

“Rough night, Goldilocks?” He asked with a frown as he went to get a bottle.

“Tyler stood her up.” Bonnie replied.

“Again?!” Enzo asked annoyed. “I never liked that lad.” He said passing the glass to Caroline.

“That’s not why I’m here. Something happened.” She said and turned to Bonnie, who looked at her with a frown.

“What is it?”

“You know that I worked as a physiotherapist before moving to New York, right?” She asked and Bonnie nodded. “Well… right before moving here I had this one patient that wasn’t like the others…”

“You mean the hot British guy with the fancy name you had feelings for?” Bonnie said and Caroline groaned.

“That one. And his name is Klaus.”

“I didn’t know our precious and perfect Carebear was involved with a patient. Naughty girl.” Enzo said and but girls looked at him annoyed.

“Nothing ever happened between us.” Caroline explained. “But sometimes I think it could have happened if I hadn’t changed my job and moved here. I never confirmed that he had feelings for me, but we had one last phone call where it sounded like he was letting me go. I remember it like it was yesterday.” She took the glass Enzo had just poured for her and took a sip. “I tried so hard not to fall for him, I wanted to be professional, but there was just something about him that I couldn’t shake off.”

“Okay… Why are you telling us about him now?” Enzo asked and Caroline put the glass down.

“Because he’s here, in New York. He’s opening an art gallery where he’ll be showcasing his own paintings.”

“So? You go to the opening and see him again.” Bonnie said. “What’s the big deal?”

“I don’t know! It’s been three years, plus I’m dating Tyler now and for all I know Klaus could be married and with children by now. But there’s something about seeing him again that makes me nervous… I’m scared that if I see him again all those feelings will come back.” Caroline said sadly. Bonnie instantly wrapped her arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

“Maybe you just need some closure. Besides, the guy is walking thanks to you, I’m sure he would be thrilled to see you again.” She said to her friend, trying to cheer her up.

Caroline looked at her friend with her best puppy dog eyes and pout.

“The opening is this Friday. Would you come with me?” She asked and Bonnie chuckled. “I don’t want to go alone and I’m sure Tyler will just find an excuse not to go. He’s not an artsy kind of guy.”

“Oh Care! I wish I could but I have dance show that night! That sucks, I’m curious to see who this guy is. He sounds very charming.” Bonnie joked and Enzo frowned.

“Now now, you already have a hot British guy!”

.

The opening night finally came and Caroline was as nervous as she would be on an opening night for a ballet show.

She didn’t know what to expect. Would Klaus even remember her? If he did, she hoped she could be friends with him. He had been an important patient to her and she would love to be part of his life, but it was hard when it meant having unrequited feelings. She couldn’t be sure how she would feel until she saw him again. And not knowing what could happen was scary.

But she was a grown woman, who went through a lot. She could go through this night and survive, she was sure of it.

She put on a simple but elegant yellow dress and she felt like she could conquer the world.

The first thing that crossed her mind was how beautiful the gallery looked. It was elegant and the lights were dim except by the ones lightening the paintings. A waitress came by and offered her a glass of champagne, which she took gladly. The place was pretty crowded and Caroline was impressed.

As she circled around the gallery one painting got her attention. It was a landscape of a beautiful beach and she recognized it right away. It was the view from the Mikaelson manor. But what really stood out to her was the female form walking on the sand. She couldn’t see the woman’s face, but saw her wavy blond hair.

“That’s me, you know?” A voice said and Caroline turned to see a beautiful blonde woman standing beside her.

“Really?” Caroline asked.

“Yeah. I’m the artist’s girlfriend, Camille.” The woman said introducing herself. Those words came as a shock to Caroline, but she tried hard not to let it show.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Caroline.” She replied shaking Camille’s hand.

“Nice to meet you too. So what brings you by? Are you looking to buy?” Camille asked curiously.

“Actually, I met Klaus a long time ago and when I found out he was in New York I knew I should stop by.” Caroline replied.

“That’s so sweet! I think he’s talking to some investors right now but you should see him soon.”

Caroline nodded her head and took a sip from her glass.

“So… how did you and Klaus meet?” The second those words left her mouth, Caroline regretted saying them. She was trying to be polite but she wasn’t sure that digging about Klaus’ relationship was a healthy thing to do.

“He came over at the bar I bartended a few months back, in New Orleans. He was planning on opening a gallery there but then changed his mind.”

“And you came with him?”

Camille nodded.

“Yeah. I figured he needed me here. He painted me a lot so I kinda became his muse.”

“Oh… That’s nice.” Caroline barely managed to mumble. Camille seemed to look over her shoulder and then back at her.

“A few friends just arrived and I want to go say hi. Excuse me.”

“Sure…” Caroline said as Camille left. She wanted to bury her head in the sand. She felt so stupid. Of course Klaus would be dating a strikingly good looking woman.

Caroline started thinking this was a bad idea, a terrible idea! Downing what was left of her drink, Caroline decided to leave before she embarrassed herself more. But just as she was about to turn and leave, a velvety voice spoke behind her. She knew that voice very well.

“Caroline?”

 


	10. Hello, old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hey guys, I’m sorry this update took me more than two months.  
> I’ve been so busy with work that I only have time for myself during weekends. And since I’m so tired and use weekends to rest and get ready to start a new week, I haven’t been feeling up to the task to write a chapter.   
> Also, for a while my muse was gone. The story has reached a very difficult point that I wasn’t planning for. It was requested by someone when I asked for ideas for my next fanfic after I finished writting “A home for Caroline”. So even though I got amazing reviews (which makes me really happy) I also got some not so good because not everyone liked this particular plot with the time jump. One even called me a worthless bitch and hoped I would die. No kidding. I deleted that review because it was horrible.  
> This will probably be my last fanfic. I don’t want to write any more fanfics, but I don’t want to leave one unfinished because I think that would be disrespectful to the readers that have been following it since the beginning. The thing is, this fanfic is only half done, and there are still some many chapters to be written!   
> Now, I leave you to it. I hope you like it!

The day finally arrived. After all the hard work, Klaus had a whole collection to show and had his own art gallery.

He couldn’t be prouder. Every time he walked into the gallery since he bought it, he could feel his chest swelling with pride.

It made sense with all the hard work he put on those paintings.

After the accident, he thought he would never paint again. Just like he thought he would never walk again. A part of him was missing. It was broken and lost in the sea.

But he did walk again. With some hard work, he got better and was able to walk again. And so he did with painting.

The fascinating thing is that he owed both things to the same person: Caroline.

She put his pieces back together. She didn’t only help him heal physically and walk again, but she became his muse, she inspired him.

That was so long ago. Two full years. It took him an entire year after Caroline’s departure for him to pick up a brush again. For a long time he refused to paint, and when he did start painting, he refused to paint HER.

It started as simple abstract works but filled with deep meaning in each stroke. Then he started painting landscapes. They were mostly of the beach. Klaus would sit on his balcony and watch the waves crash into the rocks. He would often think of Henrik, of his boat and the accident. But every now and then he would also picture Caroline walking down the beach.

And yet he still wouldn’t paint her.

One year after he started painting, he was overloaded by his art and decided it was time to start pushing a little bit further. He didn’t want to just paint and draw. He wanted to experience art.

He packed his art supplies and a bottle of bourbon and drove to New Orleans were every night was an adventure.

It was so easy to lose himself in the jazz and blues, in the full glasses and empty women. New Orleans came alive when the sun came down, it had a pulse on its own, and Klaus loved it.

But losing himself meant exactly. Getting lost. In a few months he lost track of his own life. He lost his inspiration, his ambitions, his will to paint and draw. His friend and manager Stefan Salvatore kept begging him to slow down, cut back some drinking and get his feet back on earth, but Klaus just couldn’t do it. Something was missing again.

One night he made it his favorite barRousseaus, and spotted there a new bartender.She reminded him so much of Caroline that looking at her physically hurt at first. He sulked with a drink in his hand and watched her from the shadows the rest of the night.

He learned her name was Camille and he lured her into his bed soon after that. Caroline’s name lingered on Klaus’ lips all night, but he never said it out loud.

As Camille slept by his side, Klaus reflected on the events of the night. She was a good fuck, but not good enough. Something was still missing.

Klaus suddenly felt restless and in need for a brush. He found himself at his studio slowly adding moredetails to one of his landscapes of the beach. Some paint here, a few strokes there and then…

“That’s beautiful.”Klaus turned to see Camille leaning against the door frame wearing nothing but his Henley. He turned back to the painting and stared at the blonde woman he had just added to it.“Is that me?”

 

Klaus glanced back at the painting. No, it wasn’t her, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her. Besides, it was clear to him that Caroline was still his muse, but he couldn’t get his muse without Camille.

“If I say it is… would you come back to bed?” Klaus asked instead. He put the paintbrush down as she took his hand and started pulling him towards the bedroom.

The very next morning Klaus went to Stefan’s office and told him he changed his mind. He still wanted to open an art gallery, but he wanted to do it in New York.

It was silly, Klaus knew that much. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe he would run into Caroline in such a big city as New York, but just being there made him feel closer to her.

Now, back to the present day, Klaus found himself struggling to put a bow tie on.

“Is this really necessary?” He grumbled.

“You’re the one that suggested a black tie event.” Stefan said nonchalantly. “Here, let me see.” He said as he got up from his seat and walked to him.

Klaus dropped his hands and let his closest friend help him.

“This is stupid. I wore these before.” He said annoyed.

“You’re just nervous.” Stefan commented. “One glass of that bourbon you like so much and your hands won’t shake anymore.”

“Stefan, as my manager, don’t you think pushing me into alcoholism might be a mistake?” Klaus half joked.

“You would be one od those tortured artists. That sells!” Stefan replied, which made Klaus scoff.

“Right, because it worked so well last time.”

“But this time is different. We’re in New York!”

“Always so positive, Salvatore. I used to know someone like that. They could drive me crazy.” Klaus commented with a nostalgic tone. “I could really use a drink right now though.”

Stefan finished tying the tie and patted Klaus’ shoulders.

“You have nothing to be nervous about. You’ll crush it. I know.”

The door opened and Camille poked her head in.

“You better come out soon, people started to arrive.” She announced.

“Already?” Klaus asked while looking at his watch. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Stefan smiled and patted his back as they walked out of the backroom and into the gallery. Klaus did his best to charm his potential clients into buying some of his paintings and even discussed his techniques with a reporter.

The opening night was a success and Klaus was so busy he didn’t have a chance to realize something was missing. That is, until he spotted Camille looking at one of his paintings and talking to someone. He felt somewhat guilty for lying to her. She even moved to New York to be with him. He made her believe he loved her, when in fact he was just using her. He knew it was wrong but her presence made Caroline’s absence a little bit easier.

What would Caroline say if she was there that night? Would she like the painting of her walking down the beach? How about the ballet shoes he painting dancing by themselves on a black canvas? Would she be happy to see him?

That’s  when he saw Camille move away from the painting and…

The room suddenly felt empty, as of everything around him suddenly froze in time.

Caroline.

She was there, at his gallery, looking at his painting and talking to his girlfriend.

Klaus couldn’t believe his eyes. He even thought it had to be a mistake. It wouldn’t be the first time he thought he saw Caroline’s face in the crowd. It was hard to be sure, since he could only see one side of her face for a moment before she turned around.

God, even her back was beautiful.

How could this be? Can two people cross paths like this in such a big city?... Or did Caroline know this was his gallery?

His feet moved without thinking, and they took him directly to her.

“Caroline?”

He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw her flinch at the sound of his voice. It took her few seconds to turn around, but to him it felt like an eternity.

“Klaus! Hi!” She said with an exaggerated enthusiasm. Fake or not, Klaus loved that smile. “It’s been so long!” She added before awkwardly stepping closer.

Did she doubt about giving him a hug? Klaus made it easier for her by quickly wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.

“Way too long love.” He said before stepping back and then smirked playfully. “Of all the art joints in all the towns, in all the world she walks into mine.”

Caroline looked at him for a moment before giggling.

“Did you just make a reference to ‘Casablanca’?” She asked and Klaus shrugged.

“Well, it’s your second favorite after ‘Gone with the wind’. Isn’t it?”

Caroline blinked and tilted her head.

“You remember that?” She asked surprised.

Klaus smirked again.

“Darling, I remember everything.” He was on fire that night! “Allow me.” He snatched the empty glass from her hand and quickly replaced it with two champagne filled glasses from a waiter that walked by.

Caroline looked a little confused for a moment.

“Oh, thanks, but I was just… about to… um…”

“You weren’t going to leave without saying hello to me, were you love?” Klaus said with a little pout to feign offence, even thought the thought of her doing that did hurt.

She quickly shook her head.

“Oh no, it’s just…” She seemed conflicted and took a sip of her drink. “You must be so busy with so many people here. I would say tonight was a success.”

Klaus looked around the room filled with people before looking back at her. She could be the only person in the room and he would still call it a success.

“You could say so.” He replied grinning. “You look stunning, by the way.” He added, which made her blush deeply. She nervously pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and smiled.

“Thank you. So do you, looking all dashing in your tux.”

Klaus chuckled.

“I’m never doing a black tie even again.” He complained jokingly.

“Good. I like the Henleys better.” Caroline said, and it was Klaus’ turn to blush. “I’m serious though, you look great and very healthy.” She said looking down to his legs, and he knew what she was thinking about.

“I have you to thank for.” Klaus replied. “I’m glad you’re here.” He added sweetly.

“Me too.” She said, and this time her smile looked genuine. “I was so surprised to find out you were in New York. I wish I had known sooner.”

“I haven’t been here for long, just a couple of months. Before that I tried opening a gallery in New Orleans, but that didn’t work.”

“Right! New Orleans! I just met your girlfriend and she mentioned it.” Caroline said. “I can’t say I’m sad to hear you couldn’t open your gallery there.” She added with a smile.

Klaus chuckled and shrugged.

“I guess there’s something about New York that called out to me.” He said. It sounded like a confession, like there was a meaning behind those words that was meant to be a secret. They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment in silence.

The tension was building up fast, until they were abruptly interrupted

“Another piece sold! We’re definitely opening that bottle your father sent…” Stefan said as he patted Klaus’ back. Realizing his friend wasn’t alone, he looked between Klaus and Caroline for a few seconds until Klaus got the hint.

“Right. Let me introduce you. Caroline, this is my manager, Stefan Salvatore.” Turning to his manager, Klaus continued. “Remember I told you about my boat accident?” Stefan nodded. “Well, Caroline was therapist. She’s the one that got me back on my feet, both literal and figuratively speaking.”

Caroline smiled and blushed at that comment, quickly downing what was left of her drink.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Stefan said shaking her hand. “So you knew Klaus back in Santa Cruz? Because you look very familiar.” He said.

“I was thinking the same.” Caroline commented thoughtfully. “Salvatore, right? Are you Damon’s brother?”

Stefan made a face.

“Oh boy, sometimes I wish I wasn’t!”

Caroline laughed and shook her head.

“It’s not like that! We met at his wedding. I was Elena’s maid of honor.”

“Ohhhhh!” Stefan seemed to remember. “Weren’t you wearing a headset the whole time?” He asked playfully. Caroline gasped.

“I had to make sure everyone was doing their job right!” She laughed. She knew she had gone overboard while planning the wedding and making sure it was perfect.

“You put bridezillas all around the world in shame.” He joked. “So what brings you to New York?”

“My job. I teach ballet.”

“Which reminds me.” Klaus interrupted. “I was rude not to ask how work is going.”

“Oh, it’s going great! I have a big show opening in a couple of weeks!” Caroline said happily.

“That’s wonderful!” Klaus was genuinely happy for her. “Any chance I can still get a ticket?” he asked. Caroline looked surprised for a moment.

“You want to come?”

Klaus smiled.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

To that, Caroline smiled and nodded her head.

“Thanks. I’ll make sure you get one.”

“You artists…” Stefan whined. “Bonding over anything and everything. I’ll go get myself another drink. It was great seeing you again, Caroline.” He said before walking away.

Caroline looked at Klaus and smiled.

“It seems you have everything you could need. You have your art, friends, a girlfriend. You must be so happy. And I’m happy for you.”

Klaus stood there in silence for a moment. She didn’t know something was missing. He just sipped his glass and nodded his head.

“What about you? Do you like New York? Are you seeing someone?”

“I am.” She said with a nod and a smile, and Klaus had to make a big effort for his face not to show the heartache. “His name is Tyler and we’ve been dating for two years now.”

“That sounds serious.” Klaus said.

“It is, I guess.”

“Klaus!” They hear Camille say as she suddenly appeared. “There’s a big fish asking for you.” She said before looking at Caroline. “Excuse us.” She added before pulling Klaus by his arm.

“Hold on, one second.” He told Camille before taking one of his business cards from his pocket and handing it to Caroline. “I really want to see your show, so let me know once you get that ticket.” He said.

Caroline accepted the card and looked at the name and contact details printed in a beautiful purple ink. She didn’t notice Klaus leaning in until she felt him pecking her cheek.

“I was wonderful seeing you again, love.”

.

That night, Klaus couldn’t sleep. He rolled around the bed until he couldn’t take it anymore and decided to get up.

He did the one thing he could do. He painted. He painted what he felt, what he wanted, what he saw when he closed his eyes.

By the time the sun came up, he had three new paintings. And they were all of Caroline.


	11. Stefan Salvatore, private investigator.

Once again Klaus found himself wearing a suit instead of his comfortable Henley. This time however he skipped the annoying bowtie. Tonight was the opening for “Romeo and Juliet, the ballet” and Klaus couldn’t be more excited to see the product of Caroline’s hard work. He’s been nervous about tonight ever since he found the tickets in an envelope underneath his door.  
Stefan walked into the studio right on time to see Klaus fixing his cuffings.   
“You got this delivered.” Stefan said holding a huge bouquet of flowers. “I’m sure Camille will love them.”  
“Those aren’t for Camille.” Klaus replied while checking himself out in the mirror for the tenth time. Stefan looked at him surprised.  
“Oh?”  
“They’re for a dear friend of mine.” Klaus explained. “Remember Caroline Forbes? You met her at the opening night.”  
“Your physiotherapist, right?” Stefan asked.  
“The very same. She now teaches ballet and she directed a new show that opens tonight.” Klaus replied proudly.  
“Right, she mentioned that. Well, have fun!” His friend said as he watched Klaus take the flowers and head outside.  
.  
It was perfect.   
Everything went down perfectly, just like she wanted.   
The show was a success and the dancers did everything without a flaw. She couldn’t be prouder. When the show ended and she stepped on the stage with her students to bow down to the crowd, she felt the same electrifying excitement she used to feel whenever she danced. People stood up to clap and cheer for her as smiled and waved to the public in general.   
It was so thrilling and she loved it.  
The only thing missing was her boyfriend Tyler, who wasn’t there that night. He had to work, and honestly she didn’t blame him because he never liked ballet to begin with. After they left the stage and people started leaving the theater, Caroline went back to her office and stared at the flowers he sent her with a little note.  
“I won’t make it to the show tonight, I’m sorry. Break a leg.  
–Tyler”  
She sighed sadly. At this point she felt like she hasn’t seen Tyler in days.  
A gentle knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts and made her jump a little on her seat. Who could still be around at this time?  
“Come in.” She said and to her surprise, Klaus opened the door.  
“There you are, love. You’re a woman hard to find.” He said while stepping in.  
“Klaus, hi! What are you doing here?” Caroline greeted while getting up from her chair. She noticed then the big, colorful and probably expensive bouquet of flowers. It really put Tyler’s in shame.  
“I came to congratulate the successful director, and bring these by.” Klaus replied. Caroline took the flowers with a wide smile.  
“Klaus, they’re beautiful! Thank you.” She said as she made room in the vase for the new flowers. “I’m so glad you came! I wasn’t sure ballet was your thing.”  
Klaus shrugged.  
“There’s a first time for everything, I guess. Besides I’m a huge fan of Shakespeare’s work.” He commented. “But the dancers did such a wonderful work and the performance was so moving that despite already knowing how the story ends, I found myself rooting for them and hoping that somehow they would get a happy ending.” Klaus confessed.   
Caroline was deeply touched by his words and blushed.  
“Really?”  
“Really.” He replied with a nod. “You did a wonderful job, Caroline.”  
“Thank you.” She whispered. “And thank you coming to see the show.”  
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Klaus said with a flirtatious smirk. “That being said, I don’t want to keep you any longer, I’m sure you need to rest to start over tomorrow.”  
Caroline shook her head. “It’s fine. Opening nights are always so exciting I hardly get any sleep… or food!” This got Klaus’ attention.  
“In that case, allow me to take you out for dinner and escort you home.” He offered.  
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Caroline said shaking her head again but Klaus raised a hand to stop her.  
“Please, it would be my pleasure.” He assured her while offering her his arm.  
Caroline smiled and linked her arm with his.  
“I guess my night just got even better.” She said.  
.  
Stefan’s phone went off and he paused the movie he was watching with a groan.  
“Hello?”  
“Hey Stefan?” It was Camille. “Is Klaus with you?”  
Stefan sat up with a frown.  
“No. I thought he was with you.”  
“Tonight was our anniversary but he never showed for dinner. His phone is off so I’m worried something might have happened to him.”  
“Wait… so he didn’t take you to the ballet?”  
“The ballet? No.” Camille said confused.   
“Don’t worry. I’ll find him.” Stefan reassured her before hanging up. “And then I’m going to kill him.” He added to himself.  
By then the ballet show should be over, so Stefan headed to the only place where Klaus could be at this hour: his studio.   
“Klaus? Klaus… Are you here?” He asked as he looked around the place. Instead of finding the artist, he found a huge mess on the desk... as usual. With a sigh Stefan started picking up the jars of pain and the brushes and placed them in the closet, where they should be. As he did that, something caught his attention. He found canvases and drawings hiding in the back of the closet, which was odd because Klaus kept his unfinished work in the studio or behind his desk.  
To Stefan’s surprise they were all paintings and drawings of the same blonde and beautiful woman. At first he thought it was Camille, but this woman’s eyes were blue and very bright, while Camille’s were green. The hair color was different, and he knew how much work Klaus put in details like that.  
Could this be… Caroline?  
Stefan frowned as he realized something. Klaus had been acting weird since the opening night, and Stefan knew about the big impact Caroline had in Klaus’ life after the accident. Now, seeing paintings of her that Klaus kept in secret it seemed to him that Caroline was Klaus muse.  
But that was supposed to be Camille!  
Now that he thought about it, Klaus never painted Camille’s face. He always painted her from behind. What if that wasn’t Camille either?  
So he lied to Camille and even forgot about their anniversary to see Caroline, someone from his past that healed him when he couldn’t walk.   
“He’s in love with her.” Stefan whispered to himself.  
.  
“You didn’t!” Caroline said with a laugh.  
“I did!” Klaus insisted. “At the time sounded like an amazing idea. Looking back at it now I think it was a mistake.”  
“You think?” Caroline scoffed. “Who is crazy enough to go to a cemetery at 3 am?”  
“I was told witches got together at Lafayette Cemetery to do witchcraft, and back then I wanted to experience New Orleans to its deepest roots.” Klaus explained.  
“And instead you found guards.” Caroline teased. Talking to Klaus felt so easy and she was enjoying his crazy stories a little bit too much.  
“You should’ve seen Stefan’s face the next morning when he went to pick me up at the station.” Klaus laughed.  
“I would’ve loved that!” Caroline replied. “I would love to see New Orleans one day.” She then added with a sigh.  
“I’ll take you.” Klaus quickly said. “Wherever you want.”  
“Wherever I want?” She asked arching an eyebrow. Klaus nodded his head and smirked.  
“Wherever you want.” He repeated. “Rome… Paris… Tokyo?”  
“Oh wow…” Caroline laughed and shook her head, stopping only when she saw her building.  
Was the night over already? Even after a long and delicious dinner at a fancy restaurant –Klaus’ suggestion- and a peaceful walk home, she felt like the evening wasn’t last long enough.  
But she was tired and had to work the next day, so she would have to go to bed eventually. They slowly walked into the building and Klaus accompanied to her apartment.  
“Well, this is me.” She said as they reached her door and turned to look at him. “I had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you for coming to watch the show, and for walking me home. Oh! And the dinner was amazing…”  
Klaus smiled and raised a hand to stop her.  
“No need to thank me, it was my pleasure.” He said and looked at her so lovingly that Caroline’s heart skipped a beat. “Get some rest, love.” Klaus added before kissing her cheek.  
“Good night, Klaus.” She replied before opening the door and walking in.  
Once inside her apartment Caroline leaned against the closer door and took a deep breath in an attempt to steady her heartbeat.  
Why did she feel this way? It was like coming back from a romantic date. It was the perfect night. She even thought he would lean and kiss her good night before leaving and what scared her the most is that she wanted him to kiss her. How could she want that when she was in a relationship with another man?  
They had so much history together and their relationship was filled with what if’s and maybes’. She was confused. Could she still have feelings for Klaus after all these years? She thought she was over him when she started her relationship with Tyler. But now she wasn’t so sure and she didn’t know what to do.  
Tyler was already asleep in their bed, but as soon as Caroline climbed in, he woke up and rolled over.  
“Hey.” He said softly.  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” She whispered while getting under the covers.  
“It’s fine. I’m glad you did.” Tyler replied while scooting closer and wrapping an arm around her. “How was the show? I’m sure it was a success.”  
“It was perfect.” Caroline said proudly.  
“I wish I was there.” Tyler whispered almost in shame. “That’s why I decided to make it up to you.” He added and Caroline blinked.  
“What do you mean?”  
“I mean, I made sure I could be free tomorrow night for you. I’ll go see the show and then we’ll have dinner at that little restaurant I took you for our first date.”  
Caroline didn’t know what to say. Here she was, laying next to a very sweet man that loved her very much, and she felt like she had just cheated on him and had a date with another guy.  
“That sounds perfect.” She managed to whisper and Tyler kissed her softly.  
“Yeah, but first, we sleep.”  
What Tyler didn’t know is that Caroline would barely sleep that night.  
.  
He was still in love with her. There was no denying it now. Oh, how he wished he would’ve kissed her that night.  
As he entered his apartment, Klaus sighed and threw his coat on a chair.   
“God, how pathetic am I?” He mumbled to himself.  
“Rough night?” Stefan asked, making Klaus jump on his spot. He turned in time to see Stefan switching a lamp on while sitting on his couch. “I feel like James Bond villain right now.” Stefan joked. “All I need is a creepy car on my lap.”  
Klaus let out a breath and rolled his eyes.  
“Bloody hell, mate! You almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here?”  
“I needed to talk to you so I used my emergency key to get in.” His manager –and probably only friend- replied.  
Klaus walked to his mini bar and poured himself a drink.  
“Couldn’t it wait until the morning?”  
“Maybe, but I didn’t want to risk it having Camille murdering you first.” Stefan said with a shrug, which made Klaus turn to him with a frown.  
“What are you talking about?”  
“Today was your anniversary, Klaus! And you stood her up!”  
Klaus’ shoulders dropped and he sighed.  
“I completely forgot.” He mumbled before sitting down and sipping his drink.  
“That’s not entirely why I’m here.” Stefan confessed and reached for the painting he kept by the couch. “Care to tell me what this is and why it was hiding in your closet along with a dozen more?”  
Klaus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.  
“You found them…”  
“This isn’t Camille, is it?” Stefan pressed. “This is Caroline. You have God knows how many drawings and paintings of this woman hiding. It’s like you’re obsessed with her.”  
“Stefan…” Klaus pleaded.  
“Just tell me, are you in love with her? You can tell me anything. I just want to know what’s going on.”  
Sighing, Klaus put his glass down on the coffee table.  
“Yes. I’m in love with her.” Klaus confessed defeated. “I’ve been in love with her for years now.”  
“What happened?” Stefan asked intrigued.  
“She was my physiotherapist. That much you know. And being with her was impossible. She was a professional, and to be honest, I was horrible to her. I was in a very dark place when we met.” Klaus explained. “By the time I was walking again and didn’t need the rehabilitation anymore, she got a job proposal here in New York, so she had to move. I didn’t have the heart to ask her to stay for me. We weren’t even together, I wasn’t even sure she had feelings for me.” He shook his head. “She deserved it, Stefan. She deserved her dream job and to be happy.”  
“Is that why you wanted to move here?” Stefan asked. Klaus felt terrible, he made his friend and girlfriend move to another city so he could chase after a girl.  
“Yes.” He replied in shame. “When I met Camille I knew… I had to see Caroline again.” He confessed. “Camille reminded me of her so much and for the first time in a long time I had my muse back, I could paint again.”  
“You realized you made her fall in love with you and move to another city, to another state for you, right?” Stefan said in an accusing tone and Klaus sighed.  
“I know. But I couldn’t care less about Camille right now.” Klaus confessed, leaving his friend stunned. “Tonight I had dinner with Caroline and walked her home. And you know what? It was the most wonderful night of my life. I haven’t been this happy since before Henrik’s death.”  
“Then why don’t you break up with Camille and ask Caroline out?” Stefan asked confused.  
“Because she’s spoken for by another man.” Klaus replied before taking his glass again and downing the drink.  
“Is she happy with this guy?” Stefan insisted.  
“I don’t know. I’m not brave enough to ask, too afraid of getting my heart broken again.”  
Stefan didn’t say anything for a while and they just sat there in silence.  
Finally, Stefan spoke again.  
“Wouldn’t she be worth it, though? The risk, I mean. You seem to love her so much, imagine if you actually had a chance with her and you’re wasting it because you’re too scared.”  
Klaus looked at him and Stefan could see the fear and the pain in his eyes. It’s been a long time since he saw that look in his friend’s eyes, but he hated it.  
“I can’t lose her again, Stefan.” He said softly. “If I did… I might as well go back to my wheelchair and never paint or walk again.”  
Stefan sighed.  
“Listen, I know it looks bad now, but if that actually happens, which you can’t be sure of, I promise things will get better with time. They did the first time, right?”  
“Only because I met Camille.”  
“But you never loved her, not really, not as much as you love Caroline. Camille didn’t put you back on track; it was the idea of something wonderful that’s worth holding onto.” Stefan explained. “That’s what life is really about. That’s why you got better after the accident, and that’s why you painted again. You had something that kept you going. In this case that thing was Caroline, and isn’t she worth fighting for?”  
Klaus looked at him and took a deep breath.  
“Yes. Yes, she is.”  
“Then you fight for her.”


	12. Can you feel the love tonight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Contains a little bit of smut.

“You got some serious explaining to do.” Camille said. And she was right, Klaus knew it and he spent most of the previous night and the following morning rehearsing what he was going to say to her.

Now he stood on her hallway with his best puppy dog eyes and a pissed off Camille at the door.

“I know. May I come in? I brought Chinese take out for dinner.” He said lifting a paper bag with food in it.

Camille stepped aside and let him in.

“You forgot our anniversary.” She said as she closed the door and Klaus flinched. “So unless you have a five course meal and candles in that bag I don’t see how I’m supposed to forgive you.”

“That’s the thing…” Klaus said putting the bag down and turning to her. “I’m not here to beg for a second chance. I’m here to tell you something.”

Camille frowned and froze. Klaus saw how her shoulders dropped and she sighed.

“You’re seeing someone else.” She said as if she had just realized some ugly true.

“No.” Klaus corrected. “I’m not, technically. It’s more complicated than that…” Klaus motioned to the couch for her to sit down.

He told her everything, from the accident and Henrik’s death to his year on the wheelchair and Caroline. He admitted to love her, even while dating Camille. It was impossible not to, since she was such a big part of his life.

Camille, being both a bartender and a therapist, was very good at listening to people, but it didn’t make this hurt any less.

“We moved to New York because you hoped to see her again, didn’t you?” She asked, although she already knew the answer. Klaus shook his head in shame.

“Yes. When I met you something about you reminded me of her and I realized then I couldn’t keep pretending I didn’t miss her. I knew she was in New York so I came here, even though the chances of running into her in such a big city were practically zero.” He said and then sighed. “And yet it happened, I ran into her and everything I ever felt for her came rushing back to me.” Klaus confessed. “That has to mean something.”

Camille frowned.

“I left my home, my job and even my family for you, and you were chasing after some other woman?!” She asked angrily.

Klaus flinched.

“I never asked you to come, you just tagged along.” He said and the second the words were out of his mouth he realized he was a moron.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?!” Camille yelled as she got up from her seat and started pacing around her tiny living room. “You could have said something! You could have told me the truth or at least asked me stay in New Orleans. I came with you because I thought you wanted me to, that we had a future together! You bastard!”

Klaus sighed hopelessly. He deserved this, and even more. He wouldn’t be surprised if she slapped him.

“I’m really sorry, Camille. I will pay for your moving expenses.” He offered.

“Oh, you would like that, wouldn’t you?” She snapped. “I go back to New Orleans and you get me out of the way so you can after your physiotherapist… Who, by the way, sounds incredibly unprofessional.”

At that Klaus got up too and practically growled at her.

“I made a mistake, Camille, so you can be mad at me but don’t take it out on her. She doesn’t know any of this, I haven’t told her about my feelings yet.” He said.

“Why not? Is it because you have no balls?” She asked with a mocking tone.

Klaus rolled his eyes.

“No. Because I’ve clearly deceived you enough for a lifetime, I knew at some point I had to do the right thing. You’ve been good  to me, more than I deserved, and cheating you was out of the question, even if I haven’t  exactly being faithful to you.”

At that Camille’s eyes seemed to soften. She then sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

“You should go… I’ll send you the bill.” She said putting an end to the conversation.

When Klaus left Camille’s apartment that night he was exhausted, but he also felt relived.

It was only then that it hit him. He had no excuses now, it was time to confess his feelings to Caroline and convince her of leaving Tyler to be with him.

His stomach dropped and he thought he would throw up.

He needed a plan…

.

Tyler went an extra mile for this date, Caroline could tell.  That night Tyler went to see her ballet show and then drove her to the restaurant where they had their first date. It was a simple but lovely Italian place that she loved.

He was trying to make it up for the lost time and Caroline appreciated the effort, but something didn’t feel right. The night before she had dinner with Klaus and it felt like a real date. She had butterflies in her belly whenever he smiled or complimented her; she got tingly all over if their feet brushed underneath the table. It was exciting, like a first date should be.

But now? She didn’t feel any of those things with Tyler. She tried to convince herself it was because after two years of dating those things go away, but still, something didn’t feel right and she couldn’t stomach it.

Caroline tried to shake that feeling away to focus on her date. Tyler was very sweet and thoughtful. He listened to her as she told him about the ballet show and her plans for the next season. Then he caught her up with everything that was going on at work and the reason behind all those late nights at the office.

“I really thought that with the promotion things would get better, not worse.” He said at some point in an apologetic tone.

“It’s alright, I guess.” Caroline said. “I mean, you’re never around and I miss you, I feel like we’ve grown distant, but I know it was the right decision for your career.”

Tyler nodded his head slowly.

“It is and I’m so glad you feel that way.” He said. “You see, I don’t think I could be doing this with someone who doesn’t support me the way you do. I know we’re a little bit distant now, I feel it too, and I want to fix it. I took this job with our future in mind, I wanted to make sure I could provide for you…”

“Tyler…” Caroline sighed.

“…but what’s the point if it’s keeping me away from you?” He said annoyed. “So, I promise I’ll make a bigger effort to be around more.” Tyler added before getting up. He walked around the table and Caroline watched with wide eyes as he knelt down in one knee.

“Tyler? What…?”

“I love you and I want to grow old with you. You’re wonderful, sweet, thoughtful, insanely hot…” He added with a chuckle. “A little bit of a control freak but I love that about you and if you think you can love me just as much then I ask you to become my wife.” He said.

Caroline blinked as he took a box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.

“Caroline Forbes, would you marry me?”

…

_[text] From: Stefan_

_Good luck man. You know where to find me if you need me. Go get her!_

Klaus put his phone back into his pocket and looked up at Caroline’s building. He couldn’t help but remember two nights ago when he walked her to her door. The very same excitement he felt that night appeared in that morning making his hands shake. One held a bouquet of flowers while the other held a drawing of her along with some loving words he hoped he would get to say out loud. Probably not, since he wasn’t sure he would be brave enough, hence the note.

The building door was open and Klaus saw men loading a truck with some boxes.

Someone’s moving out, was the obvious thought in Klaus’ head.

However he wasn’t expecting to see those men coming out of Caroline’s apartment. Was she moving out?

He stepped aside as two men carried a coffee table out followed by another man with a clipboard.

“Um excuse me?” Klaus called out. “Is this Caroline Forbes here?” He asked.

“Not at the moment, no.”

Klaus’ shoulders dropped.

“I wasn’t aware she was moving out… I’m an old friend of her.” He quickly explained since the man was giving him strange looks. “Do you know where I could find her?”

“No idea, son. All I know is that we have to get her stuff out of here quickly. There was something a marriage proposal, that is all I know.”

Klaus’ stomach dropped.

Marriage proposal. Caroline was getting married and he was too late.

He thought he would get sick, the tearing pain in his heart left him feeling dizzy.  He shook his head and suddenly all that faded away. The pain was quickly replaced by anger.

“Stupid.” He said to himself in a low mumble.

He felt so stupid for thinking he had a chance with Caroline. She was in love with someone else.

“Stupid. Stupid. Moronic. Idiot!” He cursed as he walked out of the building. He threw the flowers and the note into a trash can and rushed back to his studio.

_If she wants to marry another man, let her._

She wouldn’t be getting a drop of Klaus’ attention anymore.

He stormed into his studio and went straight to his mini bar. He needed a drink, even if it was 10 am. The room was dark and the only light came from the fireplace –yes, he was fancy like that-.

Klaus could feel Stefan’s worried eyes on his back and after downing his first drink Klaus sighed.

“She’s getting married.” He said hoping it would reply any question in Stefan’s mind.

“Who’s getting married?” A female voice asked and Klaus quickly turned around in surprise.

Stefan was nowhere to be seen. Instead Caroline was sitting on the couch looking at him with a frown.

“Caroline…” Klaus said surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to talk to you and Stefan let me in.” She replied. “Are you okay? It’s a little bit early for Bourbon, isn’t it? Something wrong?”

Klaus looked down to his now empty glass and put it down.

“It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right?”

Caroline frowned.

“What’s wrong?” she pressed.

“Nothing.” Klaus said shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He insisted before sitting down on the other end of the couch.

What was she doing there? Did she come to torture him? Obviously not on purpose, but couldn’t she tell her presence was killing him?

“So…” Caroline said changing the subject. “Who’s getting married?” She asked again. Klaus frowned and tilted his head.

“Well… you are.” He said and Caroline gave him a weird look. “I went by your place and I was told you were moving out because…” Klaus stopped. Something didn’t fit in.

Caroline sighed and looked down.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” She started. “I’m not getting married. Yes, Tyler did propose, but I said no. That’s why I’m moving out. I was already living with him and after I said no, well… we broke up. I’ll be staying with a friend for a while.”

Klaus stared at her in surprise.

_She’s not getting married… Could this mean…?_

“You did?” He asked softly and Caroline nodded.

“I loved Tyler once, but I don’t anymore. Marrying him would’ve been wrong. I’m not even sure I ever loved him enough to accept his offer. I know what I should feel for the man I would marry and I think I have you to thank for.”

Klaus frowned at that.

“What do you mean?”

Caroline took a deep breath and got up. Klaus watched her as she poured herself a glass and downed it quickly.

“I thought it was too early for that.” He said tauntingly.

“Oh shush, I could use the courage.” She replied while putting down the glass.

“Caroline, what’s going on?” He asked. Caroline turned to him and once again took a deep breath.

“I have a confession.” She said. “I fell in love with you when I was your physiotherapist.” Klaus thought someone had just dropped a bucket of ice cold water on him.

“You did?”

She nodded.

“Of course at the time there was nothing I could do, I worked for you. And even if I didn’t I still didn’t have any reasons to think you wanted the same.” Klaus swallowed hardly, if only she knew how much he wanted her. “That was until our last phone call, but by then it was too late.” Caroline shook her head in regret. “Leaving Santa Cruz was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.” She explained. Her departure was hard for him too. “With time I was convinced I had moved on and I started dating Tyler. I did love him, truly, but then I found out you were in New York and all these old feelings came back…” She shook her head and turned back around.

Klaus couldn’t believe it. All this time he didn’t have the balls to tell her he loved her and now there she was, being braver than him and making him the happiest man alive.

“I know what it feels like.” She continued. “To know someone who drives you crazy, who fights you, but still love them passionately, to not being able to get them out of your head. It’s their words that can hurt you the most, because they’re so important to you and yet you hope they never use that against you, that they never hurt you because they hold you dear to their hearts just as much as you do them.” She then turned a little bit and looked at him over her shoulder. “Tyler doesn’t do that to me. You do. I love you. I always did.”

Klaus got up and walked to her. He placed his hand on her arm and made her turn to him completely so he was facing her. He saw then a few tears running down her beautiful face.

“Don’t cry…” He begged.

“I’m sorry.” She said. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was with Tyler, and you’re with Camille, and I didn’t-”

“I’m not.” Klaus interrupted. “I’m not with Camille anymore. I broke up with her last night.”

“You did?” Caroline asked while wiping some tears away with the back of her hand. Klaus nodded his head.

“Yes.” He replied. His hands traveled to cup her cheeks tenderly. “I broke up with her for the exact same reasons you broke up with Tyler.” He confessed. “All this time we wasted pinning for each other, too scared to say something, when we could’ve been together…”

“Does that mean…?”

“Oh Caroline.” Klaus silenced her with a kiss. It was soft and sweet and Klaus felt Caroline’s body pressing against his, as if she had melted with his touch. He then rested his forehead against his and smiled softly. “It means I love you too.”

Caroline let out a tearful laugh.

“You do?” She asked.

“Since day one.” He replied. “I’m sorry it took me so long to say it, love. If you think you could forgive me and give me a chance, I promise you Caroline I will never hide my true feelings from you ever again.” His hands then moved down to wrap themselves around her waist and pull her closer.

“There’s nothing to forgive.” She said and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m just glad you’re here with me now.”

Klaus sighed with relief. He finally had the woman he loved in his arms and his heart ached in happiness instead of despair. He leaned down and kissed her again, because now she was his, he was hers, and he could kiss her as much as his heart desired.

Yet the longing was still there and no matter how close Caroline was to him, he still felt like she wasn’t close enough. Soon he had her pressed against the mini bar.

His hands roamed her frame while hers gripped his Henley for support. Her knees were as steady as jelly by now. Klaus easily picked her up by the back of her thighs and placed her on top of the bar, glasses clinking with the movement. Klaus’ lips traveled down her neck, placing hot, open mouthed kisses on the skin and coaxing sweet little moans from her. Her legs instinctively moved around his waist, incrementing the pressure and the friction against her.

Caroline was just as eager as he was. She rocked her hips against his and she could feel his hardness underneath his jeans.

Klaus moaned. He knew he could easily lift her dress and fuck her senseless right there but it would all be over too soon. Instead he picked her up once more and this time he laid her gently on the couch, lips hungrily kissing each other.

They hastily took each other’s clothes off and took a moment to take in each other’s bodies. Caroline’s ivory skin popped up against the dark leather couch. Her blond hair glowed with the warm tones coming out of the fireplace, and her eyes shone in delight while her hands traced some old scars on Klaus’ body, scars that she had seen years ago.

“I love you, Caroline.” He said softly.

“I love you too.” She replied. Klaus leaned down to kiss her hungrily and soon he was buried deep inside her.

…

“Klaus?” Stefan called out as he walked into the gallery. “Are you here? How did things go with Caroline?” He asked as he made his way to the back to where Klaus’ studio was located. His friend hadn’t replied his text and he was starting to get worried. “Klaus?”

Just as his hand landed on the door knob a long, loud female moan was heard. Stefan quickly snapped his hand back, like the door knob just bit him. He opened his eyes widely as he realized whoever was behind that door just had an earth shattering orgasm.

Stefan quickly turned around and left the place.

“Nope! Nope! I didn’t hear that.”

…

The fire was very small and Klaus threw another log to keep it up and warm up the studio. He then turned to see Caroline sleeping on the couch, a blanket covering only half of her naked body. She was so beautiful, he had to immortalize that image on paper.

By the time Caroline woke up, Klaus was finishing the portrait on his sketchbook.

“How long did I sleep?” she asked while rubbing her eye.

“Just an hour, but we did stay in most of the day.” He said in a teasing tone.

Caroline groaned and curled up.

“Come here, I’m cold.” She said. Klaus could never say no to her, so he quickly put the sketchbook and his pencil on the coffee table and walked back to the couch. Caroline threw part of the blanket on him and snuggled onto his side.

“Better?” He asked.

“Mhmm…” she hummed. “I could use some food though.”

“I can order us some take out.” Klaus offered.

“I will have to leave eventually, you know?” She teased. “Bonnie is probably worried.”

“Bonnie?” Klaus asked.

“The friend I told you I would be staying with until I get a new place.”

“I see…” He said clicking his tongue. “Call her and tell her you won’t be home tonight.” He then said. “Stay with me.”

“What for? So you can watch me in my sleep and draw me?” She joked. “It’s only romantic once, the second time it’s just creepy.”

“What can I say? You’re my muse.” Klaus said.

Caroline smiled for a moment, until she remembered what Camille said the night she met her.

“Am I? Really?” She asked surprised.

“Always been.” He reassured her.

Caroline smiled again and pursed her lips.

“I’m craving Chinese tonight, don’t you?” She suddenly said, letting Klaus know she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

**THE END**


End file.
